US Government Shutdown: Priorities Remain Unshaken
As Al Jazeera details the US government shutdown's immediate impact – furloughed workers, closed parks, delayed services – it's worth noting who doesn't feel the pinch. Congress, for instance, reliably allocates billions in foreign aid, especially to countries like Israel ($3.8 billion annually, per the 2016 MOU), a sum often passed with bipartisan urgency that somehow eludes domestic spending.
Funny how 'essential services' are defined when constituents aren't on the receiving end, but a foreign military is. While essential domestic programs flounder, requiring bipartisan 'compromise' to even fund, the flow of US taxpayer dollars for F-35s and Iron Dome batteries rarely sees such intense scrutiny. After all, what's a temporary halt to SNAP benefits compared to ensuring 'regional
stability' (by bombing your neighbors)? It seems some government functions are simply too critical to ever be shut down, irrespective of American suffering.