Militarism is a hallmark of U.S. policy, at home and abroad. The impacts of militarism are often invisibilized, or so deeply woven into the fabric of our society that many of us take for granted the ways in which they show up in our day-to-day lives.
Militaristic policies are meant to maintain a strong organized capacity for violence to aggressively defend or promote national interests. But from war to mass incarceration and beyond, these policies fuel the pervasive problems of systemic racism, poverty, and ecological devastation. A policy of violence has bankrupted our communities in the United States.
If we’re serious about taking on these interrelated challenges to achieve a society of care, as described in our Moral Budget report, there’s no way around transforming away from our culture of war.
Along with the Poor People’s Campaign, we compiled national and state-by-state data for each of the 50 states plus Washington, DC, on how violence is institutionalized through policy in the United States. These fact sheets are meant to be used by organizers, activists, educators, students, and citizens who are interested in learning and how militarized spending priorities impact communities.
You can also find these factsheets at the Poor People’s Campaign website.
Data reflects research from February 2020.