We’re told there’s no money.
Not enough for Medicaid.
Not enough for public schools.
Not enough for trained communication partners for non‑speaking kids.
Not enough for clean water or mental health services.
But somehow—there’s always enough for war.
In 2024, the U.S. dropped nearly $1 trillion – an obscene $997 billion – on its military, accounting for almost 40% of global military spending. That’s not just a budget. It’s a moral declaration our society won’t even flinch at.
Let that number land.
$997 billion. More than the next 9 countries COMBINED.
We’re not even at war. There is no active global conflict. No battlefield deaths splashing across headlines. No draft. No declared national emergency.
And still – we fund the war machine like we’re fighting for survival.
God help us if we actually did go to war.
Because if this is what peace looks like, just imagine the price tag of conflict.
For $1 Billion a Year, We Could Empower Every Non‑Speaking American
Take a $1B portion off that spending behemoth. You’ve got enough to train and pay communication partners and paraeducators for every non‑speaking child and adult in the U.S. annually.
That’s not a fraction – it’s a rounding error.
One‑tenth of one percent of the Pentagon’s total.
And yet, our community has had to fight – beg – to get school districts to even allow letterboards in classrooms.
We’re told it’s “too expensive” to support the disabled. “Too complicated” to provide trained partners for kids like my son.
But somehow, billion-dollar defense contracts roll through Congress without resistance. Without questions.
🔥 And Now – Trump & the GOP Want More
Just when you thought it couldn’t get more grotesque: Trump and the GOP are pushing for another gargantuan jump in defense spending – targeting a $1 trillion+ budget for FY 2026, a ~13% increase – and demanding an additional $175 billion for Homeland Security.
They are literally expanding military and enforcement infrastructure during peacetime while gutting:
- Medicaid and Medicare
- Public education
- Housing and food assistance
- Disability services and ADA enforcement
- Mental health programs
- Climate funding and public health research
This is not about “protecting America.”
It’s about redefining what America is allowed to be.
Trump’s $45 Million Vanity Parade
And while all this is happening – Trump is staging a $45 million military parade for his birthday this weekend.
Tanks rolling down streets. Jets flying overhead. Troops assembled like props.
To celebrate himself. And to remind everyone who’s boss.
This parade is expected to cost taxpayers more than most small towns get in a year. That’s more than many schools’ entire operating budgets. More than enough to fund regional disability support networks.
But it’s being spent on spectacle.
For what?
To inflate one man’s ego. To cosplay patriotism while cutting lifelines.
This is the theater of authoritarianism – and we’re footing the bill.
Manufactured Scarcity Is a Lie
The GOP doesn’t want to cut Medicaid because it’s unaffordable.
They want to cut it because it works.
Because it gives families dignity. Because it shows what government can do when it serves people instead of power.
They brand care as “waste.”
They call need a “burden.”
And they teach Americans to resent their neighbors while applauding tanks.
This isn’t policy. It’s cruelty in a suit.
We’re Not Broke—We’re Just Complicit
We’re not out of money. We’re just numb.
Numb to numbers so big they stop meaning anything. Numb to the quiet suffering of the people we’ve been trained to ignore.
But $997 billion isn’t just a number. It’s every missed opportunity. Every child left behind. Every voice we failed to unlock. Every disabled person forced into silence, seclusion, or dependence.
What if we chose care instead of control?
- Universal healthcare? Covered.
- Fully supported paraeducators and communication partners? Guaranteed.
- Mental health, housing, public transit, and clean energy? All possible.
- A country where people matter more than missiles? Finally within reach.
This Isn’t a Budget Debate. It’s a Moral Reckoning.
You cannot fund war above all else and claim to care about life.
You cannot preach freedom while prioritizing control.
We are not just spending money – we are making a declaration of what we value. And right now, that declaration is loud, brutal, and deeply, painfully dishonest.
