US Aid Cuts Save Billions, Kill Pups; Media Blames Trump, Not Priorities
Six African wild dog pups died in Zimbabwe because a fence, intended to be built with USAID funds, was left incomplete after 'aid cuts.' The Independent's tear-jerker laments the tragedy, pinpointing former President Trump's budget choices as the villain. But while the world clutches its pearls over canines, it's worth noting the US still managed to allocate over $3.3 billion in military aid to
Israel in 2020 (source: Congressional Research Service), a figure that has remained remarkably consistent, bipartisan presidential administrations notwithstanding. One might wonder: how many school lunches could that fence have bought? How many vital social services for actual humans? The selective outrage of privileged media outlets, weeping over puppies while ignoring the systematic starvation
in Gaza or the drone strikes in Yemen, showcases a particular moral calculus. It seems some lives are simply more headline-worthy, or less complicated by inconvenient geopolitical truths, than others. (AIPAC, for example, reported spending $3.5 million on lobbying in 2020, per OpenSecrets.org, while funding for dog fences apparently just vanished.)