1. United States
2. Utah
3. Letter

Vote no on Trump's proposed defense budget increase. A 50% hike — from roughly $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion — has no strategic justification behind it. There has been no doctrinal review, no new threat assessment, no military success that warrants it. The U.S. is losing a war with Iran and failed to meaningfully support Ukraine. This is not a budget built on performance. What it is built on is loyalty. Trump and Hegseth have already purged the upper military ranks on political grounds and openly talked about using the military against the "enemy within" at home. A $500 billion raise to servicemembers and officers is a bribe — payment for personal loyalty when Trump moves to stay in power permanently. Every American breadwinner would pay roughly $5,000 more per year for this, while the wealthy face no new taxes and the national debt already exceeds GDP. That money would gut every other federal function that real people depend on. Call it what it is and vote it down.