This year, our ask is to bring more transparency to the funding of weapons and war.

Today, the United States continues to pursue unprecedented levels of military spending. Our nation spends more on weapons and war than on education, public health, scientific research, infrastructure, environmental protection, and more—combined. A significant contributor to this imbalance is the Pentagon’s Unfunded Priorities Lists, a mechanism that requires the military to request bonus funding above and beyond the Pentagon’s already substantial budget. By eliminating these “wish lists,” Congress can take a significant step toward realigning our spending with our values. 

Each year, Congress requires the Pentagon to draw up a wish list of weapons and projects that the administration didn’t ask for, known as the “Unfunded Priorities List.” These lists offer a backdoor to boosting already excessive military spending, a practice that has received criticism from both sides of the aisle. Even the Pentagon is on record opposing the Unfunded Priorities List and urging Congress to “reconsider … this approach.”

The Streamline Pentagon Spending Act (H.R.4740) is a bipartisan bill that would repeal the annual mandate for these wish lists—a crucial step toward accountability, transparency, and peace.

In 2023, we were working to convince the U.S. government to put peacebuilding and violence prevention at the center of its foreign policy.  The Whittier FCNL group was one of over 130 nationwide teams which organized 520 lobby visits in 48 states.

Where there is extreme inequality, oppression, marginalization, corruption, or resource scarcity, there is potential for conflict and violence.

Too often, these roots of conflict are not addressed until it is too late. Policymakers only pay attention after violence breaks out, often focusing on mitigating the damage and minimizing casualties. Following ceasefires and elite-driven peace processes, the seeds of violence often remain, dormant, waiting to grow again.

Peacebuilding is the critical tool in addressing the seeds of conflict and breaking cycles of violence at the local level. Peacebuilding is a long-term, often generational process that addresses the underlying causes of violent conflict by resolving injustices in nonviolent ways. It works to transform cultures and institutions that generate violent conflict, such as oppression, marginalization, gender inequality, and corruption, to enable sustainable peace to take root.

Quakers are called to “seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14) and we understand that peace can be achieved only by peaceful means. We refuse to accept that these cycles of violence are inevitable. FCNL is working to persuade the U.S. government to move from conflict response to conflict prevention.

We encourage our leaders to address conflicts through diplomatic negotiation, humanitarian aid, promotion of human rights, and accountability for those who have violated human rights and committed crimes against humanity and war crimes. We ask our government to participate fully and in good faith in the work of the U.N. and other international organizations pursuing peace and justice.

In the end, a budget was passed averting a government shutdown on March 23rd.  For the programs we had advocated:

The Complex Crisis Fund:  We had asked for $66 million, the budget included $55 million.

Reconciliation programs:  We had asked for $40 million, the budget included $25 million.

Atrocities prevention:  We had requested $25 million, but the budget only included $6 million.

We did not get everything we asked, but it ended up being a lot better than we feared.  These programs are vital in the modern world where there is always conflict brewing or burning.

Read more here: https://www.fcnl.org/updates/2024-03/fcnl-advocates-protect-critical-peacebuilding-funding