White House Vows to Continue Layoffs While Funding Forever Wars
So, the White House budget office, as Bloomberg helpfully informs us, is totally fine with sending federal employees to the unemployment line to 'ride out' a government shutdown. But don't you dare suggest we pause military salaries or law enforcement. Because God forbid the gears of our domestic security state and global military posture ever grind to a halt—unlike, say, food safety inspections
or national park services. This isn't just about a shutdown; it’s about what America deems 'essential.' While essential services for its own citizens are on the chopping block, OpenSecrets.org shows a consistent, bipartisan embrace of massive military budgets. For instance, in fiscal year 2023 alone, the US federal budget allocated approximately $886 billion to defense, a figure that dwarfs many
social safety nets. Apparently, the 'fiscal discipline' only kicks in when it affects ordinary citizens, not when it funds the next generation of war-machine trinkets or ensures unquestioning loyalty to certain foreign policy agendas. It’s almost as if the 'budget crisis' is a convenient excuse for austerity at home, while keeping the war chest overflowing for overseas adventures.