Latest news with #CommonDefense
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Congress Faces Criticism For Increased Pentagon Spending
Critics of Trump administration policy have zeroed in on the president's plan to hold a military parade on his birthday, purportedly to honor the U.S. Army, at the same time that the administration and its allies in Congress are seeking deep cuts in veterans benefits and services. If the administration truly wants to honor our men and women in uniform, it should spend whatever is needed to take care of them, and it should elevate stories of individual bravery and effort in defense of the nation and the Constitution. Instead, it has chosen to mount a costly spectacle that nods at our military personnel, past and present, while coming up empty when it comes to providing them with genuine support. Many veterans have rejected the idea that the parade is even in their honor. As Naveed Shah, political director of the veteran-led organization Common Defnse has noted, 'As an Army veteran myself, I'm proud of the Army's birthday. But this parade seems like it's all about the president's ego rather than the troops who sacrifice everything in order to serve our country.' But even as criticism of the parade grows, it is important that we don't take our eyes off of the Pentagon budget debate in Congress, which will be much more consequential in its impacts on veterans and non-veterans alike. As time winds down for Congress to finalize the budget for this year – nine months past the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, which officially started on October 1st of last year – it appears to be marching towards a massive spending plan which is more likely to make America and its allies less safe than it is to bolster our security for the nextd generation, as Sen. Wicker and his colleagues seem to believe. The House has already signed off on a $150 billion increase beyond what the Pentagon is likely to ask for over the next several years, a sum Senate Armed Services Committee chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) has called a 'generational investment' in defending America. But if any budget lines deserve a generational investment, they should be measures to combat climate change, prevent disease, curb inequality, and fund smart diplomacy and foreign economic assistance. The drive to increase Pentagon spending is also questionable because of the way it is being promoted, via reconciliation. Reconciliation is a process for rushing a bill through Congress on an expedited basis, a process which undermines that notion of bipartisan debate and input that had been a model for handling Pentagon budget requests in past years. Spending to address the major non-military challenges outlined above is not only insufficient relative to what is needed, but the House plan would seriously cut back existing, inadequate funding in these areas. If the House plan is adopted by the Senate, the result would be domestic and foreign policies that fund weapons and preparation for war while underinvesting in the pursuit of domestic strength and the maintenance of non-military tools of statecraft. The United States would be akin to a weight lifter who can lift prodigious amounts but is so bulked up they can't lift their hands above their heads or engage in routine physical activities. A successful foreign policy requires a range of tools, not just a large Pentagon budget and a global military footprint. An overmilitarized budget is not the royal road to a more effective defense – it is a recipe for diminishing U.S. global influence while making conflict more likely. Hopefully criticism of the military parade and the parallel reductions in support for veterans will prompt the public to look at a larger question as well: does America really need a $1 trillion Pentagon budget to defend ourselves? And is there a solid plan on how to spend these huge sums? After the president's parade has come and gone, these questions will remain. How we answer them will have a generational impact, as Sen. Wicker has suggested, but it may not be he positive impact he envisions, but rather a weaker, more divided country that is undermining its strength at home in service of a misguided conception of how to address challenges abroad.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Congress is Marching to the Wrong Tune on Pentagon Spending
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 11: Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) speaks to the press on the transparency from ... More the Department of Defense regarding the health of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on January 11, 2024 in Washington, DC. Secretary Austin was hospitalized for surgery relating to prostate cancer, which was not reported for several days. (Photo by Anna) Critics of Trump administration policy have zeroed in on the President's plan to hold a military parade on his birthday, purportedly to honor the U.S. Army, at the same time that the administration and its allies in Congress are seeking deep cuts in veterans benefits and services. If the administration truly wants to honor our men and women in uniform, it should spend whatever is needed to take care of them, and it should elevate stories of individual bravery and effort in defense of the nation and the Constitution. Instead, it has chosen to mount a costly spectacle that nods at our military personnel, past and present, while coming up empty when it comes to providing them with genuine support. Many veterans have rejected the idea that the parade is even in their honor. As Naveed Shah, political director of the veteran-led organization Common Defnse has noted, 'As an Army veteran myself, I'm proud of the Army's birthday. But this parade seems like it's all about the president's ego rather than the troops who sacrifice everything in order to serve our country.' But even as criticism of the parade grows, it is important that we don't take our eyes off of the Pentagon budget debate in Congress, which will be much more consequential in its impacts on veterans and non-veterans alike. As time winds down for Congress to finalize the budget for this year – nine months past the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, which officially started on October 1st of last year – it appears to be marching towards a massive spending plan which is more likely to make America and its allies less safe than it is to bolster our security for the nextd generation, as Sen. Wicker and his colleagues seem to believe. The House has already signed off on a $150 billion increase beyond what the Pentagon is likely to ask for over the next several years, a sum Senate Armed Services Committee chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) has called a 'generational investment' in defending America. But if any budget lines deserve a generational investment, they should be measures to combat climate change, prevent disease, curb inequality, and fund smart diplomacy and foreign economic assistance. The drive to increase Pentagon spending is also questionable because of the way it is being promoted, via reconciliation. Reconciliation is a process for rushing a bill through Congress on an expedited basis, a process which undermines that notion of bipartisan debate and input that had been a model for handling Pentagon budget requests in past years. Spending to address the major non-military challenges outlined above is not only insufficient relative to what is needed, but the House plan would seriously cut back existing, inadequate funding in these areas. If the House plan is adopted by the Senate, the result would be domestic and foreign policies that fund weapons and preparation for war while underinvesting in the pursuit of domestic strength and the maintenance of non-military tools of statecraft. The United States would be akin to a weight lifter who can lift prodigious amounts but is so bulked up they can't lift their hands above their heads or engage in routine physical activities. A successful foreign policy requires a range of tools, not just a large Pentagon budget and a global military footprint. An overmilitarized budget is not the royal road to a more effective defense – it is a recipe for diminishing U.S. global influence while making conflict more likely. Hopefully criticism of the military parade and the parallel reductions in support for veterans will prompt the public to look at a larger question as well: does America really need a $1 trillion Pentagon budget to defend ourselves? And is there a solid plan on how to spend these huge sums? After the president's parade has come and gone, these questions will remain. How we answer them will have a generational impact, as Sen. Wicker has suggested, but it may not be he positive impact he envisions, but rather a weaker, more divided country that is undermining its strength at home in service of a misguided conception of how to address challenges abroad.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Veterans group calls for release of Phoenix Army vet by immigration agents
A national veterans group is calling for the release of an Iraq War veteran who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside his Laveen neighborhood. Marlon Parris faces deportation after ICE agents detained him on Jan. 22 while he was driving to an ATM. He is being held at a private prison facility in Florence in ICE custody. Parris had been in the country legally for more than 20 years and served three deployments in the Army. He and his wife, Tanisha Hartwell-Parris, believe he was targeted as part of President Donald Trump's increased immigration enforcement efforts, which include a focus on people convicted of crimes. Parris, in 2011, pled guilty to a nonviolent felony drug charge and served five years in prison. Before he was released, ICE agents visited Parris in prison, telling him that due to his service to the country and the nonviolent nature of his conviction, they would not seek to deport him. Upon learning Parris' story, Common Defense, a grassroots veterans advocacy organization, launched a petition calling for his release. "Veterans who have raised their right hand to serve this country, regardless of what we sent them to do, regardless of where they originated from, do not ever deserve to be tossed away," said Jojo Sweatt, a Marine Corps veteran and organizing director for Common Defense. "They deserve citizenship here in the United States, and they deserve to be protected, honored and respected and allocated all the resources that they need based on anything that they've been suffering from because of that commitment and sacrifice to service." Sweatt said Common Defense was calling for the release of Parris from custody and the return of his green card. She also said President Trump should sign an executive order protecting service members from deportation and repatriate any deported veterans. "If this administration really does care about equity in the military and honoring the service of those who make that sacrifice, then they need to all be brought home, and they need to all be given their legal status," she said. Michael Chappell, a U.S. Navy veteran who lives in Tucson, said he believed the Trump administration was unjustly targeting Parris. "When you get home from service, you expect that your government, your country, is going to take care of you," he said. "And this is the farthest thing from that." Chappell now serves as a program director for Veteran Engagement & Trail Stewardship at the Arizona Trial Association, where veterans can take part in trail restoration and engage in therapeutic recovery with their fellow service members. He said veterans face significant challenges when trying to reenter society. "I'm hoping he's able to keep it together because I'm sure this experience has done nothing to help his PTSD," Chapell said. Parris' wife said he has a pending bond hearing, at which point she hopes he can be released on his own recognizance. An online ICE portal shows a hearing scheduled for Parris on Feb. 27 in an immigration court in Florence. Sweatt said Common Defense had contacted political leaders and tried to get them to support Parris' release. She worries that his case is not unique and was encouraging friends and family members of deported veterans to contact Common Defense for assistance. "There's likely more Marlons out there that have been affected," she said. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Veterans group calls for release of Iraq War veteran detained by ICE
USA Today
12-02-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Veterans group calls for release of Phoenix Army vet by immigration agents
Veterans group calls for release of Phoenix Army vet by immigration agents Show Caption Hide Caption 'I have to be his voice': Wife of US veteran detained by ICE speaks Tanisha Hartwell-Parris of Phoenix talks about her husband being detained by ICE. Marlon Parris is a military veteran but had a criminal conviction. Marlon Parris, an Iraq War veteran, is facing deportation after being detained by ICE despite legally residing in the U.S. for over 20 years. Common Defense, a veterans' organization, has launched a petition and is urging the government to protection veterans from deportation. A national veterans group is calling for the release of an Iraq War veteran who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside his Laveen neighborhood. Marlon Parris faces deportation after ICE agents detained him on Jan. 22 while he was driving to an ATM. He is being held at a private prison facility in Florence in ICE custody. Parris had been in the country legally for more than 20 years and served three deployments in the Army. He and his wife, Tanisha Hartwell-Parris, believe he was targeted as part of President Donald Trump's increased immigration enforcement efforts, which include a focus on people convicted of crimes. Parris, in 2011, pled guilty to a nonviolent felony drug charge and served five years in prison. Before he was released, ICE agents visited Parris in prison, telling him that due to his service to the country and the nonviolent nature of his conviction, they would not seek to deport him. Upon learning Parris' story, Common Defense, a grassroots veterans advocacy organization, launched a petition calling for his release. "Veterans who have raised their right hand to serve this country, regardless of what we sent them to do, regardless of where they originated from, do not ever deserve to be tossed away," said Jojo Sweatt, a Marine Corps veteran and organizing director for Common Defense. "They deserve citizenship here in the United States, and they deserve to be protected, honored and respected and allocated all the resources that they need based on anything that they've been suffering from because of that commitment and sacrifice to service." Sweatt said Common Defense was calling for the release of Parris from custody and the return of his green card. She also said President Trump should sign an executive order protecting service members from deportation and repatriate any deported veterans. "If this administration really does care about equity in the military and honoring the service of those who make that sacrifice, then they need to all be brought home, and they need to all be given their legal status," she said. Michael Chappell, a U.S. Navy veteran who lives in Tucson, said he believed the Trump administration was unjustly targeting Parris. "When you get home from service, you expect that your government, your country, is going to take care of you," he said. "And this is the farthest thing from that." Chappell now serves as a program director for Veteran Engagement & Trail Stewardship at the Arizona Trial Association, where veterans can take part in trail restoration and engage in therapeutic recovery with their fellow service members. He said veterans face significant challenges when trying to reenter society. "I'm hoping he's able to keep it together because I'm sure this experience has done nothing to help his PTSD," Chapell said. Parris' wife said he has a pending bond hearing, at which point she hopes he can be released on his own recognizance. An online ICE portal shows a hearing scheduled for Parris on Feb. 27 in an immigration court in Florence. Sweatt said Common Defense had contacted political leaders and tried to get them to support Parris' release. She worries that his case is not unique and was encouraging friends and family members of deported veterans to contact Common Defense for assistance. "There's likely more Marlons out there that have been affected," she said.
