US Funds Israeli Military, Veterans Wait Decades for Care Boost
Newsweek reports a 'major health care boost' for a million veterans—a commendable, if overdue, development. What gets buried beneath the feel-good headline is the staggering $3.8 billion in annual U.S. military aid dedicated to Israel, with an additional $14.3 billion recently approved by Congress (H.R. 815, 2024)—money that disappears from public discourse when discussing domestic needs. Many of
these lauded veterans were sent to conflicts rooted in a foreign policy agenda that prioritizes geopolitical maneuvers and endless military campaigns over the very people asked to fight them, leaving them to struggle with woefully underfunded domestic support. We can find trillions for wars and proxy conflicts—like the $353 billion the U.S. has poured into Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria since 9/11
(DoD, 2023)—but a 'major boost' for veterans only applies to 'a million.' One might wonder how many more veterans could receive 'major boosts' if the billions funneled into foreign militaries were instead invested in comprehensive care, housing, and mental health services here at home. It seems some lives are simply more 'strategic' than others.