U.S. Marines training in Senegal, 2019 (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Margaret Gale)

Does America Spend Too Much on Its Military?

The United States spends more cash in total on its defense than any other nation. But the U.S. also has the largest economy in the world, and if you rank countries’ defense spending as a percentage of GDP, the U.S. isn’t in the top spot. (Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Russia all spend a higher percentage of their GDP on their militaries.) No matter how it’s counted, the U.S. does spend a lot on its armed forces. And as the Biden administration pushes to spend more on infrastructure and social programs, the debate over whether to spend less on the military has heated up.

Two U.S. lawmakers—a Democrat and a Republican—face off about whether U.S. military spending is too high.

January 10, 2022

Over the past two decades, the United States has designated $6.4 trillion toward military operations. This year alone, the Pentagon’s budget totaled more than $760 billion.

America’s defense budget is more than those of the next 11 countries combined. Russia and China spend a fraction of what we spend on their militaries. Meanwhile, the U.S. budget for diplomacy and humanitarian assistance is $63 billion—less than 10 percent of our military spending. That’s a clear illustration of our misguided priorities toward war and away from diplomacy.

An analysis by an independent think tank shows that we can significantly reduce our defense spending without sacrificing our national security or reducing the support for our service members. As we continue to fight a pandemic and an economic crisis that has pushed millions into poverty, it’s clearer than ever that a massive defense budget does not meet our national security needs. Instead of wasting billions on forever wars around the globe, we should be investing in housing, education, food assistance, and clean water for our communities, as well as strengthening our diplomatic ties.

Let’s spend less on defense and more on the needs of the American people.

On August 30, the last U.S. troops left Afghanistan after two decades of fighting there. President Biden’s brave decision to end this war provides a historic opportunity to reduce military spending. Congress must seize this moment to reverse course on the ever-growing, wasteful Pentagon budgets that fuel wars and sap communities of vital investments.

By cutting just 10 percent off the massive $768 billion defense budget, we could free up $76.8 billion to help the American people. That could move us toward ending homelessness, providing universal health care, investing in education, and much more.

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the deep inequities that permeate every aspect of American life. It’s time we stop spending taxpayer dollars on a bloated military budget and start investing in the needs of the American people.

—CONGRESSWOMAN BARBARA LEE

Democrat of California

The Constitution charges the federal government with precious few things, and chief among them is to “provide for the common defense.” We need a strong military to prevent wars. Our adversaries must know they have no chance of beating us.

No other country faces the threats—in number, severity, or geographic range—that we do. Critics often say we spend more on our military than the next 10 countries combined, but that’s not true because some countries spend more than they admit: A top military official recently told Congress that China and Russia—our top competitors—combined likely outspend us. These adversaries are increasing their military spending; we simply can’t afford to cut ours.

Since 2000, China’s spending on its army has gone up 450 percent. China is engaging in a historic nuclear buildup, conducting provocative actions toward Taiwan, and showcasing new weapons that the U.S. doesn’t even have yet. Russia, too, has ramped up military investment and just conducted its largest military exercise in four decades. We must also confront Iranian aggression and North Korean needling. And as much as President Biden would like to say it’s over, the war on terrorism continues.

No other country faces the number and severity of threats that America does.

President Biden insists he wants to prepare our nation for 21st-century threats—like China and Russia. But to do that, we need 3 to 5 percent real growth to our defense budget.

We can’t forget our all-volunteer force. Their pay, housing, and health care alone is almost half of our defense budget—and that’s an expense other countries don’t count. That’s why Congress, on a bipartisan basis, rejected President Biden’s irresponsible budget cuts, and voted to increase defense spending by $25 billion this year.

Sufficient funding for our military is just a start. We also need the strategy, innovation, and creativity to compete with our adversaries effectively. We can’t spend our way out of our security problems, but we can spend too little to give ourselves a chance..

—SENATOR JAMES INHOFE

Republican of Oklahoma