D.C. Congresswoman Fights to Reprioritize U.S. Spending from Weapons Programs to Social Needs

Interview with Eleanor Holmes Norton, U.S. representative, conducted by David Goodman and Marc Stern

When Congress returns to work following its summer recess, members will have to figure out how to pay for the ongoing U.S. presence in Iraq and Afghanistan; as well as the country's other spending priorities. Not even counting the funds being spent on these ongoing military actions, half of the $800 billion Congress appropriates annually -- using its discretionary power -- already goes to the Pentagon.

This reality disturbs Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton of Washington D.C., who has sponsored a bill every year since 1993 that would shift spending from expensive weapons systems to people-centered needs. Called The Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act, the measure requires the United States to dismantle its nuclear weapons following other nuclear nations doing the same, and then to divert those resources to such things as housing, health care, Social Security and the environment.

David Goodman and Marc Stern of the "Radio With A View" program at WMBR, in Cambridge, Mass. recently spoke with Rep. Norton, a law professor and six-term non-voting Democrat representing the District of Columbia. Norton, who has long fought for full voting rights for Washington D.C.'s residents, describes the genesis of the bill and her fight for a less militarized world.

Contact Eleanor Holmes Norton's office by calling (202) 225-8050 or visit her website at: www.Norton.house.gov

Related links

* "Norton Introduces Nuclear Disarmament Bill Necessary For Domestic Needs And To Contain Nuclear Proliferation,", Office of U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes press release, June 27, 2003

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