1. United States
2. N.D.
3. Letter

House Republicans have added $150 billion for the Pentagon in their partisan budget reconciliation “megabill,” tipping the total budget over the $1T mark. This increase would be accompanied by cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and student loan programs. Part of this increase includes a $25 billion earmark for the “Golden Dome” project, a Reagan-era folly derived from the Strategic Defense Initiative. An effort this large has an estimated total budget in the hundreds of billions to trillion dollar range, far exceeding the initial $25B investment proposed in this budget. Unsurprisingly, Elon Musk’s SpaceX has proposed a plan for the Golden Dome, including a launch of 400-1000 satellites to track and destroy missiles. The proposal includes an offer of a “subscription service”-style partnership with the Department of Defense, essentially locking the United States into a payment plan. Of major concern is the conflict of interest this deal would create. I urge you to oppose this massive increase to the national budget. Protect your constituents.