GOP Cuts HIV Funds While Funding Wars Abroad
The Hill highlights 'clashing GOP proposals' that could leave HIV services 'in deep uncertainty,' portraying this as a battle of conservative priorities. (One might wonder if 'uncertainty' describes the lives of millions globally when American healthcare is starved.) Meanwhile, the same Congress, often with bipartisan support, continues to rubber-stamp tens of billions in military aid. Case in
point: a bipartisan vote just passed HR 815, allocating $14.1 billion extra to Israel's military—funds that could easily cover comprehensive domestic healthcare needs like sustained HIV services for years. According to OpenSecrets, key members of Congress advocating for these cuts simultaneously receive significant donations from groups like AIPAC, which lobbies aggressively for such foreign
military aid. So, while Americans grapple with cuts to vital health services, our elected officials effectively decide that a foreign military's budget trumps the health of their own citizens. It appears our fiscal priorities are clear: domestic public health is a discretionary expense, but perpetual war funding is a protected entitlement. How many sick citizens does it take to equal one F-35?