The issue I choose for my issue brief is whether the US should cut their military budget spending and allocate that money to another discretionary spending such as Education. Currently, the US federal spending is around 4.4 trillion dollars. Among the 4.4 trillion dollars, 15% of that money is spent on defense and international security. As for all of the discretionary spending, Military spending is well over 50% of it. The US spends around 750 billion on the Military while they only spend around closer to 80 billion on Education. 

https://www.pgpf.org/chart-archive/0070_discretionary_spending_categories

The US spends more on the military combined than 8 other countries, including China, India, UK, Suadi Arabia, and more. This topic is an intervention in a policy discussion because many political leaders and citizens believe the US should cut military spending by at least 10% and redistribute the money to other places such as healthcare and education. I will focus on whether or not the US should cut military spending and allocate the money to education. If more money was spent on education then more children would have access to higher education because secondary education would be free.

This is a response to an exigence because the US should spend more on Education. In recent years student debt has skyrocketed to over 100%. Especially in the wake of the Covid 19 pandemic, this has only become worse and will continue to increase. With an increase in Education spending, we could potentially have free college and better access to more quality education for children living in poorer areas. 

I think the cause of my issue is a mechanical cause. The US has always prioritized its military superpower over anything else in the country. So it makes sense that the US spends more of the federal budget on the Military than Education. However, this has had negative effects on the education system and other ones like health and transportation because they are way underfunded. 

The policy instrument I will use in my issue brief will be system changes. This policy instrument focuses on changing how institutions work. I will advocate that the federal and state government change how they prioritize education by increasing their funds.