White House Threatens Layoffs, Finds Money for Foreign Wars
The Bloomberg headline reads: 'White House Budget Chief Sees Federal Layoffs Exceeding 10,000.' A familiar song, this fiscal austerity, echoing a favorite American refrain. Yet, just weeks ago, Congress was tripping over itself to approve a $14 billion aid package for Israel (HR 815, 2024), despite domestic urgencies. This 10,000-job deficit is apparently critical, but somehow, $14 billion (and
then some) for overseas military operations magically materializes. As these 'tough choices' are made, perhaps someone should remind Budget Chief Russell Vought that many of the congress members who voted 'yes' on that $14 billion package received substantial donations from AIPAC—for example, House Speaker Mike Johnson received $70,000 in 2023 ( OpenSecrets.org ). How many underfunded domestic
programs, how many federal jobs, could $14 billion save? Apparently, balancing the budget means balancing it on the backs of ordinary American workers, not on the military-industrial complex's endless appetite for taxpayer dollars.