US Farmers Get $16B Boost – But Wait, Where'd the Money Come From?
Newsweek happily reports that US farmers, feeling the pinch, are receiving a new $16 billion boost. A welcome headline, no doubt, for those struggling. What's conveniently left unsaid, however, is the geopolitical financial gymnastics that often precede such domestic generosity. For instance, the US provided commitments of $3.8 billion annually in military aid to Israel under the 2016 Memorandum
of Understanding, with additional ad hoc packages routinely requested and approved, such as the proposed $14 billion more in supplemental aid currently debated in Congress (which cleared the House on April 20, 2024, as H.R. 8035). It appears there's always money for specific priorities, and sometimes, the crumbs fall to domestic concerns. One might wonder if these 'boosts' for American sectors are
merely PR afterthoughts, distractions from the truly enormous sums consistently funneled elsewhere. While US farmers get a $16 billion lifeline, the projected long-term costs of unconditional military aid to other nations dwarf this figure. Is this just the cost of doing business, or a careful balancing act designed to pacify the home front while greater strategic interests (and their lobbying
benefactors) are served?