faith in action

America is Number 1

Number 1 in military spending. Number 1 in military weapons sales. Number 1 with military bases across the world.


UN statue

United Methodists in America can and must change this by working with others. Our Social Principles states, “that the manufacture, sale, and deployment of armaments must be reduced and controlled.” (Social Principles, ¶165.C)

The General Board of Church and Society and United Methodist Women are active members of the Poor People’s Campaign. The Campaign calls reallocation of the military budget to education, health care, jobs and green infrastructure needs, and strengthening the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system. United Methodists can participate in the Campaign in their states.

Reallocating money from the military budget to foreign assistance could lead to greater global peace and security. Less than 1 percent of the federal government’s spending goes to foreign aid. The U.S. should invest more heavily in programs that help people overcome poverty, like education and infrastructure, and promote health, like clean water and sanitation. The U.S. should support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Additionally, the international community should invest its resources in policies and programs that promote nonviolent approaches to transforming conflict. The U.S. Congress should continue funding programs that seek to nonviolent ways to end conflicts and pass the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act (H.R. 3030 in the House of Representatives/S. 1156 in the Senate). This bipartisan legislation legislative effort serves to further support ongoing work of the atrocities prevention as well as increased emphasis on violence prevention at the U.S. Agency for International Development.