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Trump's Budget Expands Global War on the Backs of the American Poor
It is fitting that while President Trump is traveling the world, sealing a weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, he would drop his own kind of bomb on the American people: his budget proposal for the coming f
May 23, 2017
It is fitting that while President Trump is traveling the world, sealing a weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, he would drop his own kind of bomb on the American people: his budget proposal for the coming fiscal year, titled, of course, "The New Foundation for American Greatness."
"This Budget's defining ambition is to unleash the dreams of the American people," Trump writes in his 62-page plan, released today.
Trump's dream for America is a nightmare for the working class.
"Trump's dream for America is a nightmare for the working class."
The budget proposes deep cuts to government support for the poor, including slashing over $800 billion from Medicaid, $192 billion from food assistance, $272 billion from welfare programs, $72 billion from disability benefits, and ending programs that provide financial support for poor college students.
While cutting government assistance for working class Americans, the budget notably beefs up annual military spending by 10%, to the tune of $639 billion.
The US defense budget is already roughly the size of the next eleven largest national military budgets combined.
Trump's budget aims to go bigger, laying the groundwork "for a larger, more capable, and more lethal joint force [and] warfighting readiness."
Such readiness involves 56,400 more troops across the armed forces and 84 new fighter plans.
Trump wants additional funding to make sure that the US military "remains the world's preeminent fighting force" so that "we can continue to ensure peace through strength."
While slashing cuts for the poor and expanding military spending, the budget also proposes $2.6 billion for building the notorious wall on the US-Mexico border, and widely increasing the number of border patrol agents and immigration enforcement officials.
Support for massive US military spending is a bi-partisan tradition in American politics, as the War Resisters League (WRL), a longstanding US anti-war organization, points out in their annual analysis of the US military budget.
"When it comes to military spending, it really doesn't matter who's in office. The President and Congress are always willing to give the Pentagon more money," the WRL states in their most recent report. Each year, taxpayers turn over billions "for wars that breed more wars, weapons systems that even the Pentagon doesn't want, drones that kill hundreds of innocent children, and bases and troops in countries they've never heard of."
"It's your money," the WRL report explains. "Is this how you want it spent?"
We know how Trump wants to spend it: by funding global war and building a racist wall.
"We have it in our power to set free the dreams of our people," Trump writes in his budget. "Let us begin."
Let us begin by rejecting Trump's budget and saying no more war on the backs of the poor.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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Benjamin Dangl
Benjamin Dangl is a Journalism & Communication Lecturer at University of Vermont. He has a PhD in Latin American history from McGill University and has worked as a journalist throughout Latin America for over fifteen years, covering politics and protest movements for outlets such as Common Dreams, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, The Nation, Salon, Vice, and NACLA Report on the Americas. He is the author of the books "The Five Hundred Year Rebellion: Indigenous Movements and the Decolonization of History in Bolivia;" "Dancing with Dynamite: Social Movements and States in Latin America;" "The Price of Fire: Resource Wars and Social Movements in Bolivia," all published by AK Press. Follow him on Twitter: @bendangl
It is fitting that while President Trump is traveling the world, sealing a weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, he would drop his own kind of bomb on the American people: his budget proposal for the coming fiscal year, titled, of course, "The New Foundation for American Greatness."
"This Budget's defining ambition is to unleash the dreams of the American people," Trump writes in his 62-page plan, released today.
Trump's dream for America is a nightmare for the working class.
"Trump's dream for America is a nightmare for the working class."
The budget proposes deep cuts to government support for the poor, including slashing over $800 billion from Medicaid, $192 billion from food assistance, $272 billion from welfare programs, $72 billion from disability benefits, and ending programs that provide financial support for poor college students.
While cutting government assistance for working class Americans, the budget notably beefs up annual military spending by 10%, to the tune of $639 billion.
The US defense budget is already roughly the size of the next eleven largest national military budgets combined.
Trump's budget aims to go bigger, laying the groundwork "for a larger, more capable, and more lethal joint force [and] warfighting readiness."
Such readiness involves 56,400 more troops across the armed forces and 84 new fighter plans.
Trump wants additional funding to make sure that the US military "remains the world's preeminent fighting force" so that "we can continue to ensure peace through strength."
While slashing cuts for the poor and expanding military spending, the budget also proposes $2.6 billion for building the notorious wall on the US-Mexico border, and widely increasing the number of border patrol agents and immigration enforcement officials.
Support for massive US military spending is a bi-partisan tradition in American politics, as the War Resisters League (WRL), a longstanding US anti-war organization, points out in their annual analysis of the US military budget.
"When it comes to military spending, it really doesn't matter who's in office. The President and Congress are always willing to give the Pentagon more money," the WRL states in their most recent report. Each year, taxpayers turn over billions "for wars that breed more wars, weapons systems that even the Pentagon doesn't want, drones that kill hundreds of innocent children, and bases and troops in countries they've never heard of."
"It's your money," the WRL report explains. "Is this how you want it spent?"
We know how Trump wants to spend it: by funding global war and building a racist wall.
"We have it in our power to set free the dreams of our people," Trump writes in his budget. "Let us begin."
Let us begin by rejecting Trump's budget and saying no more war on the backs of the poor.
Benjamin Dangl
Benjamin Dangl is a Journalism & Communication Lecturer at University of Vermont. He has a PhD in Latin American history from McGill University and has worked as a journalist throughout Latin America for over fifteen years, covering politics and protest movements for outlets such as Common Dreams, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, The Nation, Salon, Vice, and NACLA Report on the Americas. He is the author of the books "The Five Hundred Year Rebellion: Indigenous Movements and the Decolonization of History in Bolivia;" "Dancing with Dynamite: Social Movements and States in Latin America;" "The Price of Fire: Resource Wars and Social Movements in Bolivia," all published by AK Press. Follow him on Twitter: @bendangl
It is fitting that while President Trump is traveling the world, sealing a weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, he would drop his own kind of bomb on the American people: his budget proposal for the coming fiscal year, titled, of course, "The New Foundation for American Greatness."
"This Budget's defining ambition is to unleash the dreams of the American people," Trump writes in his 62-page plan, released today.
Trump's dream for America is a nightmare for the working class.
"Trump's dream for America is a nightmare for the working class."
The budget proposes deep cuts to government support for the poor, including slashing over $800 billion from Medicaid, $192 billion from food assistance, $272 billion from welfare programs, $72 billion from disability benefits, and ending programs that provide financial support for poor college students.
While cutting government assistance for working class Americans, the budget notably beefs up annual military spending by 10%, to the tune of $639 billion.
The US defense budget is already roughly the size of the next eleven largest national military budgets combined.
Trump's budget aims to go bigger, laying the groundwork "for a larger, more capable, and more lethal joint force [and] warfighting readiness."
Such readiness involves 56,400 more troops across the armed forces and 84 new fighter plans.
Trump wants additional funding to make sure that the US military "remains the world's preeminent fighting force" so that "we can continue to ensure peace through strength."
While slashing cuts for the poor and expanding military spending, the budget also proposes $2.6 billion for building the notorious wall on the US-Mexico border, and widely increasing the number of border patrol agents and immigration enforcement officials.
Support for massive US military spending is a bi-partisan tradition in American politics, as the War Resisters League (WRL), a longstanding US anti-war organization, points out in their annual analysis of the US military budget.
"When it comes to military spending, it really doesn't matter who's in office. The President and Congress are always willing to give the Pentagon more money," the WRL states in their most recent report. Each year, taxpayers turn over billions "for wars that breed more wars, weapons systems that even the Pentagon doesn't want, drones that kill hundreds of innocent children, and bases and troops in countries they've never heard of."
"It's your money," the WRL report explains. "Is this how you want it spent?"
We know how Trump wants to spend it: by funding global war and building a racist wall.
"We have it in our power to set free the dreams of our people," Trump writes in his budget. "Let us begin."
Let us begin by rejecting Trump's budget and saying no more war on the backs of the poor.
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