US Government Can Fund Wars, Not Its Own Workers
While federal employees go without pay and vital services grind to a halt, the hand-wringing on cable news is palpable. This 'crisis' over meager domestic spending never seems to apply to the endless spigots of military aid. For instance, in 2023 alone, the US committed upwards of $17 billion in aid to Israel, with congressional approvals often sailing through even amidst budget stalemates. One
might wonder, if the government can't keep itself running, how is it always so efficient at funding foreign conflicts? The media frames government shutdowns as an intractable problem, ignoring the selective financial agility at play. It appears that American 'budget constraints' are a domestic luxury, quickly abandoned when it comes to supporting ongoing military campaigns or allies abroad,
especially those with powerful lobbying arms. (See: OpenSecrets.org data on AIPAC contributions to Congress.) Perhaps if the DMV accepted military hardware as payment, the lights would stay on.