With the economic outlook precarious, Congress faces tough decisions on military and domestic spending and the size of the national debt:
New Speaker Johnson’s budget strategy stretches US response in Middle East – Hill
“DOD has not yet released an estimate of the total cost of the U.S. support for Israel, but the price tag is expected to be high, and there’s only so many places defense officials can pull that money from.”
While it’s questionable whether Israel’s destruction of Gaza has increased its long-term security, here’s what it has done with military and financial support from the US:
More than 20,000 dead in Gaza, a historic human toll – msn/WaPost
The plight of Gaza’s ‘WCNSFs’ – wounded child, no surviving family – Guardian
Should the US support Israel’s ongoing expansion of settlements into Palestinian territory and displacement of the Palestinian population? Won’t this end up in another round of violence and retribution — a cycle that is part of Israel’s long-term strategy of expansion?
In Gaza war, Israel’s radical settlers see an opportunity to expand – msn/WaPost
“‘Our attitude now is to return to Gaza, it’s a natural thing,’ she said. ‘The minute we have the opportunity to return to the community where we belong, we do it.’
“To make that possible, she wants the over 2 million Gazans removed from the enclave. ‘Arabs cannot continue to live in Gaza.'”
Instead of funding the destruction housing in Gaza and the West Bank, Congress could use the money to help the growing population of homeless people in the US:
Our Policies to Address Homelessness Are Failing – Kevin Corinth/AEI
“We need a smarter approach that focuses on preventing homelessness whenever possible, offering temporary but effective assistance to those who fall through the cracks, and moving people off the street. That requires a substantial boost in funding for homelessness prevention and temporary rental assistance. It also means investing in a shelter system that makes beds available to people and directs them toward mental-health or substance-abuse treatment.
“The scale of the problem means that we can no longer solve it solely by shifting resources around within the homelessness system. Resources should be reallocated from ineffective housing programs that don’t help the families most in need. For example, the low-income-housing tax credit does little to increase the supply of housing and ultimately pads the pockets of developers rather than reduce market rents. Housing-choice vouchers unfairly provide permanent assistance to a lucky few rather than offer temporary assistance to families in danger of losing their home.”