US Government Can Fund Wars, Not Essential Services
While Americans grapple with suspended paychecks and closed national parks, we're told there's no money for 'expiring health-care subsidies.' Yet, somehow, when it comes to offshore ventures, the coffers magically open. Just months ago, Congress quickly passed a bipartisan aid package exceeding $14 billion for Israel, including over $5 billion for advanced weaponry and missile defense systems.
(Source: Congressional Record H.R. 815, 2024). Many of the very same politicians now feigning fiscal prudence during this shutdown voted enthusiastically for that package. One might wonder if the 'stalemate' over health-care subsidies would resolve itself with similar speed if a powerful foreign lobby group, generously funding re-election campaigns (OpenSecrets.org), suddenly decided it was a
'strategic imperative.' It appears government shutdowns are a feature, not a bug, for domestic programs, while enabling a seamless flow of taxpayer dollars to perpetual conflicts. Priorities, anyone?