📢 $1 Trillion to cause more harm to our communities
It’s time we the people fiercely advocate for a new definition of security — one rooted in justice, equity, and care. We won’t fund ICE or bombs while our people go without care.
📢 Together, we rise! People Power United champions progress and power to the people. Join us by becoming a free or paid subscriber. Make your voice heard.
When we talk about national security, we should be talking about what truly makes us safe: affordable health care, stable housing, good jobs, clean water, and strong communities. But once again, 34-time convicted felon President Donald Trump, the complicit cult of obedience known as the Republican Party, and MAGA extremists have twisted the definition of “security” into a bottomless pit for defense contractors and ICE.
Besides sending in national guards and marines to create chaos in our communities, Trump is backing a Pentagon budget request that could top $1 trillion, diverting our public resources to weapons systems, war profiteers, and endless militarism — all while cutting essential programs like Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Head Start, SNAP, Veterans programs, and vital community services.
Let’s be clear: this is not safety. This is exploitation.
A Trillion-Dollar Illusion
Trump's proposed defense budget for fiscal year 2026 clocks in at $892.6 billion, a number that tops $1 trillion when including nuclear weapons, war spending hidden in other agencies, and the cost of caring for veterans of past wars (Breaking Defense, 2025). It’s the largest military budget in history, yet it’s being spun as a “cut” because it doesn’t grow fast enough to satisfy defense lobbyists.
Meanwhile, millions of Americans are barely hanging on. The cost of housing, health care, food, and electricity keeps rising, and our leaders are doing nothing to stop it. Instead, they seem more focused on digging even deeper into our pockets.
The very same MAGA Republicans pushing this military binge are also pushing brutal cuts to Medicaid, a lifeline for over 70 million people, including seniors, children, people with disabilities, and low-income families. (Rolling Stone, 2025)
How does this make sense? It doesn’t — unless your goal is to protect ICE and defense industry profits, not people.
The Psychology of Power and Fear
What drives these obscene Pentagon budgets isn’t real security, it’s fear, manufactured and monetized. Trump and his allies embrace a worldview that equates dominance with safety. In their minds, more weapons equals more control, and more control equals power. But this is not strength, it's insecurity wearing the mask of bravado.
And it’s politically convenient. Military spending rarely faces the scrutiny that social programs do. Few in Congress dare appear “weak on defense,” even when this bloated budget means fewer hospital beds, crumbling roads, and underfunded schools. The psychology here is simple: fear sells — especially when it enriches campaign donors.
The Truth About Waste
For every tax dollar sent to the Pentagon, less than half goes to troops or their families. The rest is funneled into weapons programs — many unnecessary, delayed, or plagued with failure. The F-35 fighter jet, for instance, is the most expensive weapons system in history, yet it still suffers from serious performance issues after more than 20 years of development (Forbes, 2025).
Pouring more tax dollars into the Pentagon hasn’t made us safer — it’s made us poorer. And it’s locked us into an endless arms race that benefits weapons makers, not working families (The Hill, 2025).
Fighting for Real Security
It doesn’t have to be this way. Across the country, people are rising up, demanding budgets that put people before Pentagon profits.
We can create real safety by investing in health care, housing, education, and green jobs. We can dismantle the war economy and reinvest in what sustains life. We can build foreign policy rooted in diplomacy, not drone strikes.
This Is a Moment for Movement
Power does not concede without a fight.1 The $1 trillion Pentagon budget is not inevitable, it’s a policy choice. A moral failure. A betrayal of our values and our people.
It’s time we the people fiercely advocate for a new definition of security — one rooted in justice, equity, and care. We won’t fund ICE or bombs while our people go without care.
Join us to show up, speak out, and build a future where safety means caring for each other. Because safety is not measured in bombs — it’s measured in how well we care for one another.
This isn't about public safety. This is about power. This is about control.
The MAGA regime is trying to turn Americans against each other—scapegoating immigrants and unleashing military force against civilians. It is a direct threat to our families, our freedoms, and our future. And we must not look away.
Let's be clear: Congress won't save us. The courts won't save us. The only thing that will protect our communities is us—rising together in people-powered resistance to defend liberty and justice for all.
We must stay committed to nonviolence. As Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, nonviolence is our most powerful weapon for justice. That means we must act within the laws of this nation—through peaceful protest, civil disobedience, and by organizing to build community power and lasting change.
We have a job to do. Here's how we fight back:
✊ Hit the Streets
See below for information on the upcoming NO KINGS rallies and protests happening around the country. Peacefully and powerfully. Protest. Rally. Bear witness. Make noise. Make them see us—and hear us.
✍️ Sign on to these efforts
Click here to Investigate Trump’s LA National Guard Deployment Now
Click here to sign the petition: Denounce Trump’s Military-Style LA Immigration Raids
Click here to send a letter to your lawmakers to speak out and denounce this state-sponsored terror on our communities and champion freedom of speech and the right to assemble.
Click here to Take Action: Stop ICE Raids and Military Escalation Against Protestors
Click here to Stop Attacks on Immigrants in Reconciliation Bill
📢 Join NO KINGS DAY
Join the nationwide No Kings Day protests happening across the country on June 14 to say NO to fascism, NO to military crackdowns, and YES to democracy, dignity, and immigrant justice.
Click here to find a location near you on Mobilize
Click here to view on a map
Click here to signup to host an event for NO KINGS DAY
Thanks for taking action!
Power to the People
Let's be clear: We are the firewall. We are the ones who must organize, resist, and demand a nation where power serves the people—not terrorizes them. The fight for democracy is our fight.
I want to make it clear that whenever People Power United uses the word "fight" in our writings, posts, or spoken word, we mean fiercely advocate—never to incite or support violence. We do not condone any form of violence, nor do we advocate for breaking any laws.
Our commitment is to peaceful advocacy through the exercise of our constitutional rights, including freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, peaceful rallies, protests, and acts of civil disobedience. These are the tools we use to defend our rights, freedoms, the rule of law, and democracy.
And together, we will win.
We are not just resisting—we are reclaiming, rebuilding, and rising. Let’s do it together.
With fierce resolve and people power,
Laurie Woodward Garcia
People Power United
Together, we can inspire progress and create a community where everyone can thrive!
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📢 Together, we rise! People Power United champions progress and power to the people. Join us by becoming a free or paid subscriber. Make your voice heard.
Please note when People Power United uses the word “fight”—whether in writing, online, or in speech—we mean to fiercely advocate, never to incite or support violence. We do not condone violence in any form, nor do we promote breaking the law.
Our work is rooted in peaceful advocacy—through the exercise of our constitutional rights: free speech, peaceful assembly, rallies, protests, and acts of civil disobedience. These are the tools we use to defend our rights, freedoms, the rule of law, and our democracy. And together, we will win.
We don't have a 8pm event, maybe you are thinking of another group?
I can't make the attendee training session at 8pm. Is there a way I can watch it later?