Massachusetts Pays Insurance, While Feds Fund Foreign Wars
When the federal government pulls funding for its own citizens' health insurance, Massachusetts has to scramble, dipping into reserves for $250 million. (A quarter-billion dollars, suddenly found for a domestic crisis.) This comes as Congress just approved HR 815, sending $14.1 billion in 'security assistance' to Israel, following overwhelming bipartisan support—including from Massachusetts
representatives who took significant donations from groups like AIPAC. For instance, Rep. Jake Auchincloss received $5,000 from AIPAC in 2022, according to OpenSecrets.org, then voted for the latest aid package. How many state budgets have to be raided before we question Washington's spending priorities? It appears the 'national interest' is defined by those lobbying loudest (and donating most) in
Washington, not by the dwindling healthcare access in working-class communities. One might wonder, if states can pull $250 million out of thin air for insurance, what could they do if federal tax dollars weren't perpetually diverted to overseas military adventures?