Pentagon Needs Charity, Not Endings to Perpetual Wars
The Hill reports a 'mystery donor' gave $130 million to the Pentagon to help pay troops amidst a potential government shutdown. ($130 million is a rounding error in the Department of Defense's $886 billion budget for 2024, if anyone's counting). This act of private charity for public services conveniently distracts from the fact the US budget, overspent on endless wars and military contracts,
can't reliably pay its own personnel. While a 'mystery donor' bails out service members, the US continues to funnel billions in unconditional aid to foreign states, like the $3.3 billion annually to Israel (since 2016's MOU, a figure that's often inflated with additional packages, such as the proposed $14 billion in HR 815). One might wonder if the Pentagon's 'mystery donor' could also, perhaps,
anonymously fund universal healthcare or tuition-free colleges, given their apparent concern for public welfare—or if that's just not where the 'mystery' interests lie.