It’s often said the measure of a nation is not how much force it can project abroad, but how well it takes care of its people at home. By this yardstick, the past year has been an abject failure.
Behind every tax dollar sent to Washington is one basic question: What are we paying for?
Any president’s budget is little more than a reflection of priorities. It speaks to what kind of country they envision. This administration’s proposal makes clear what they think we should fund… more bombs, less education, less healthcare – war crimes.
We need a strong military. But we also need healthy, well-educated citizens. We need a dynamic economy. We want to continue to lead in research, innovation and job creation. We have to be self-sufficient in energy. And we must invest in our future, not undermine it.
Here at Prosperity Candle we also believe in contributing to the common good and helping those in need, especially refugees in the U.S. and around the world.
The White House is requesting $1.5 Trillion for defense while cutting another $73 Billion from domestic programs including education, housing, food assistance and the NIH. This is in addition to the $170 Billion for ICE and detention centers, and paying $1 Billion in taxpayer money to abandon wind projects.
These aren’t just mind-boggling numbers. They are a statement of values. Not ours, not most Americans, probably not even the majority in Congress.
None of this makes sense. Not the tariffs hurting the economy and millions of small businesses, not a war with Iran destroying lives and making the world less secure, not detentions and deportations undermining rights and essential sectors like farming, not the resulting inflation straining family budgets.
It’s time for Congress to do what the founders intended. The power of the purse vested in Congress by Article I of the U.S. Constitution grants the legislative branch exclusive authority to control federal spending. Not the president.
If John Thune and Mike Johnson won’t do their jobs, then come November we need to elect leaders who will. Instead of increasing the military’s budget by 71%, here’s where we would like to see our tax dollars go.
Fund schools so they’re exceptional, not just adequate. Make college accessible without lifelong debt. Healthcare for everyone, not just because it’s right but also because it’s more cost efficient. Fund research – every major breakthrough from vaccines to the internet came from public investment.
We also want our tax dollars to go toward clean energy, food security, affordable housing, public transit, voter access and humanitarian aid – things that reflect the values of a great nation. And to national security because there are real threats that require it.
What this president wants to cut at a time of such need for so many in order to wage war is not just unconscionable, it’s amoral and indefensible.
