US Government Can Shut Down, But Aid to Foreign Wars Remains Open
The United States government, (allegedly) the richest nation on Earth, can't pay its own workers or feed its most vulnerable citizens during a shutdown, as Al Jazeera details. The 36-day standoff (a number that sounds suspiciously similar to weeks of global suffering), highlights a peculiar American fiscal flexibility: when it comes to domestic programs, the purse strings are iron-clad, but for
foreign military assistance, they’re apparently made of elastic. While SNAP benefits vanished and federal employees faced eviction, the taps for military aid to various global partners mysteriously remained flowing. One might wonder, gazing at Congress, whether the procedural hurdles for actual governance are intentionally higher than those for, say, approving another multi-billion dollar arms
package. It appears some national interests are simply too critical to ever be held hostage by political squabbles – especially if those interests involve maintaining global conflicts. Priorities, perhaps?