Dear Editor,
Since the U.S. began bombing Iran February 28, American taxpayers have spent an estimated $78 billion on military operations. To date, over 1,500 civilians in Iran and over 2,000 in Lebanon have been killed using our tax dollars — including 175 girls and school staff killed by a U.S. bomb in Minab. The Iranian Red Crescent Society reports over 82,000 civilian structures have been damaged by the U.S. and Israeli bombings, including 498 schools.
Leading counterterrorism official Joe Kent stated that Iran poses no imminent threat to our national security. On April 21, a coalition of over 100 veterans and military family members went to the U.S. capitol to express their opposition to the war in Iran. Still, the Trump administration is proposing record-setting increases in “defense” spending, financed by proposed reductions in funding for domestic programs like health and human services, housing, environmental protection and more.
The Eastern Michigan University-American Association of University Professors' Solidarity, Labor, Equity, and Justice Committee condemns the wars on Iran and Lebanon, continued U.S. support for the genocide in Gaza, and imperialist military actions against Venezuela and Cuba. As workers, scholars, educators and community members, we denounce our government waging imperial wars while our communities suffer at home.
War, imperialism and militarism impose a serious opportunity cost on American students and educators. Money spent on wars could instead be spent to support our students. Financial concerns are frequently identified as the leading reason students drop out of college, including cost of tuition, books, housing and food. Congressman Ro Khanna recently noted that the Pentagon’s $200 billion request for the war on Iran is enough money to provide free college for every American. A New York Times analysis finds Trump’s 2027 $1.5 trillion budget request for the Pentagon represents a 43.7% increase from 2026. Simultaneously, Trump proposed only $76.5 billion in discretionary funding for education — a 2.9% decline from 2026.
Imperialism and militarism are also concerns domestically. The growing number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities, including one proposed in Romulus, Michigan, police militarization and data centers are all part of what French author and politician Aimé Césaire referred to as the “imperial boomerang.” These imperialistic techniques are designed to control, surveil and repress people living in the United States and have placed many of our students in a constant state of anxiety and fear not only for themselves, but also for their families and communities.
Militarism abroad and at home imperils teaching and learning on our campus. While spring is typically a time of celebrating graduation and new possibilities, many of our students are grieving personal losses from U.S. bombing campaigns or living in fear of ICE raids. If we truly care about the well-being and academic success of our students, we must oppose war and militarism.
Sincerely,
EMU-AAUP Solidarity, Labor, Equity, and Justice Committee
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