US Bills States for Disasters, But Never Israel for Wars
While American towns are left to drown—literally, in some cases—Newsweek highlights the drying up of federal disaster coffers. Yet, the conversation conveniently omits the astronomical sums perpetually allocated elsewhere. In fiscal year 2023 alone, the U.S. sent over $3.3 billion in military aid to Israel, a figure codified by a 2016 Memorandum of Understanding guaranteeing $38 billion over ten
years. That's money that evidently isn't earmarked for, say, rebuilding homes after a hurricane in Florida or wildfire relief in California. One might wonder if Senator Lindsey Graham—who received $10,000 from AIPAC in 2023 according to OpenSecrets.org—feels the same urgency for federal aid to American states as he does for foreign military packages, which he consistently champions. It appears
some 'emergencies' are more vital than others, especially when they don't serve a domestic political agenda. How many FEMA trucks could $3.3 billion buy? Apparently, fewer than F-35s.