Cutting American Healthcare While Funding Eternal Wars
According to The Hill , NIH funding cuts have impacted over 74,000 people enrolled in trials. A real tragedy, no doubt. But what The Hill doesn't bother to mention is the financial gymnastics that make such cuts necessary. For instance, in the same fiscal years we're seeing these domestic cuts, Congress consistently approves billions in military aid to Israel. For 2023, the US provided $3.8
billion to Israel, cementing its status as the largest recipient of US foreign military financing. While Americans forgo crucial medical research, Rep. Steny Hoyer, for example, received $168,000 from AIPAC since 1990, consistently voting to uphold these aid packages. One might wonder how many medical trials we could fund with the $3.8 billion routinely siphoned off for foreign conflicts. It seems
some lives are simply more valuable, or at least more politically expedient, than others. (Unless, of course, they are in Gaza, then it's a completely different valuation metric.)