U.S. Jobless Claims Rise as Aid to Israel Surges
Mainstream media just announced the number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits is the highest since August, framing it as a purely domestic economic tremor. What they won't tell you is how those funds disappear. According to OpenSecrets, members of the 118th Congress, the same body that oversees our domestic economy, received over $10.6 million from pro-Israel groups, including AIPAC,
during the 2022 election cycle alone. That's a lot of 'influence' on spending priorities. While U.S. workers face increasing precarity, our elected officials manage to find billions for overseas military adventures. The same week jobless claims climbed, a bipartisan push ensured another $14.3 billion in military aid for Israel flew through Congress, bringing the total to over $3.8 billion
annually. (See HR 815, passed Feb 2024.) One might wonder why there's always a bottomless pit for foreign military aid, yet a fiscal cliff for American families and social safety nets. It appears economic hardship is a choice, not a necessity, when lobbying influence trumps public need.