Pittsburgh residents ask officials to support campaign to cut national defense spending

Forty-four Pittsburgh residents have petitioned for a hearing before City Council to ask for a local resolution to support a movement that calls for reduced defense spending.

The Move the Money to Human Needs! campaign is a national movement that calls for unspecified cuts in the $740.5 billion national defense budget. The movement also seeks increases in the $94.5 billion allocated to health and human services and $66.6 billion for education.

“Obviously, local governments don’t set the military budget,” Bloomfield resident Stephanie Pavlick said.

She said local governments would be helped if more federal money went to social service programs.

To get the hearing before council, the group was required to collect 25 signatures from residents who are registered to vote, according to Pittsburgh’s home rule charter.

The group garnered 44 signatures on its petition, council President Theresa Kail-Smith said.

A hearing hasn’t been scheduled, but council Tuesday approved setting one up. Those who signed the petition are required to attend the virtual meeting for it to be held, according to the city’s charter.

The Pittsburgh group is looking for an endorsement of the Move the Money campaign to gain support from the local level for legislation sponsored by the House Defense Spending Reduction Caucus.

If the defense budget was cut by 10%, over time it could provide money for local governments to address human services programs.

Councilman Ricky Burgess said he has “always agreed” the country spends too much on the military and not enough on social services.

He lauded the energy movements like Move the Money have shown and said he was willing to listen to them, as he is also willing to listen to other activists who have ideas to promote change.

“If there are ways we can do this together, let’s do this together,” Burgess said. “The goal is to be a city for all.”