Well, it’s almost time for Donald Trump’s military parade — a $45 million affair that actually costs more than programs DOGE cut in the name of “savings.” And that’s a bit on the nose for this administration’s priorities overall, it turns out.
As Lindsay Koshgarian outlines this week, Trump’s “big brutal budget bill” in Congress not only kicks millions off Medicaid and SNAP to fund tax cuts for the wealthy. It also massively boosts the Pentagon budget and triples the amount for harassing and separating immigrant families.
Lindsay goes state by state and explains just how many people could remain on Medicaid, food stamps, or the Child Tax Credit for these extra sums spent on military contractors and private prisons. “This is truly a situation of trading life for death,” Lindsay concludes, and there’s “an exceedingly simple solution: drop the extra money for the Pentagon and attacking immigrants — and keep Medicaid and food stamps available to as many people who need them as possible.”
(If you’re an editor who’d like a version of Lindsay’s text that explicitly mentions your state, just drop us a line and let us know!)
The administration and its backers have tried to justify those safety net cuts by saying they’re designed to cut “waste.” But these programs have minimal amounts of fraud or waste — and as Brett Heinz adds, the bill is packed with wasteful giveaways to special interests, like those Pentagon contractors and weapons markers, fossil fuel companies, and even tanning salons. “The president says he’s targeting ‘waste’ by cutting health care for Americans,” Brett writes. “So why all the corporate giveaways?”
Finally, Todd Larsen and Charlotte Tate warn that child labor in the U.S. food system is increasing. And while it’s unclear if the administration will enforce the law, there’s still plenty consumers can do.
New This Week…
We Have a Choice: Weapons and War, or Food and Health Care? | Lindsay Koshgarian
President Trump’s “big brutal bill” slashes SNAP and Medicaid to enrich private prison and military contractor CEOs.
Trump’s Big Bill Is Filled With Hundreds of Billions in Waste | Brett Heinz
The president says he’s targeting “waste” by cutting health care for Americans. So why all the corporate giveaways?
Let’s Get Child Labor Off Our Dinner Plates | Todd Larsen and Charlotte Tate
From agriculture to restaurants, more and more food in this country is produced by child labor. That’s putting whole communities at risk.
In Case You Missed It…
Six Ways Trump’s Budget Will Hurt Rural America | Michael Chameides
Republicans in Congress are jamming through a sweeping bill to fund handouts to the rich — at the cost of jobs, health care, and food in rural America.
Musk’s Deadliest Legacy | David Douglas
Gutting USAID will cause millions of deaths from disease and starvation. But it’s not too late to change course.
Criminalizing Homelessness Doesn’t Work. Housing People Does. | Farrah Hassen
A year after the Supreme Court greenlit crackdowns on people living without shelter, homelessness has only gotten worse.
Trump’s Last Tax Cuts Failed Americans Like Me. Let’s Not Repeat the Mistake. | Brakeyshia Samms
Black women are among the most underpaid people in the country — so when a policy works for us, it works for everyone. Unfortunately, Trump’s tax cuts for the rich don’t.
