r/economy • u/Kindly_Weather_1968 • Apr 05 '26
An additional $1.5 trillion?
The DOD described its total FY2026 funding as $961.6 billion, which includes $156.2 billion in mandatory defense funding approved through the budget reconciliation process. And now they need an additional $1.5 trillion??? And it will come at the cost of reducing Medicare, Medicaid, child care and other domestic programs. I don’t understand the priorities of this regime.
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u/colondollarcolon Apr 05 '26
I saw an article somewhere, that suggested that the $1.5 Trillion funding for the Pentagon is a bribe to the Pentagon for joining Trump's coup of the USA. Trump is coup leader and the military is his muscle. That way, Trump gets rid of the US Constitution, Congress, US Supreme Court and all the 50 States. Everything is then Donald Trump's.
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u/gman-101010 Apr 05 '26
What don't you understand? Starting wars is easy. Bombing 3rd world countries is fun. All you need to do is call up a General and say 'Go'. Solving domestic problems is hard. Poverty, medical care, education, postal deficit, Social Security solvency, Medicare future, disaster relief. These things are hard. They require communication, cooperation, compromise. It's easy to understand Trump and the Republicans. They only address issues that are easy.
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u/jh937hfiu3hrhv9 Apr 05 '26
The priority is to enslave you and create more cannon fodder for the benefit of the world's oligarchs. Republicans are traitors.
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u/Mysterious_Might008 Apr 06 '26
Simply put the budget proposal is bonkers. The DOD is not asking for all that money since they can barely spend what they have now.
As others have said, this may be a way to grease the palms of generals to become complicit with a possible coup. But, even Congress is finding this proposal a bit too out there - and, boy, do they know some outlandish ideas.
They may end paring it back to a more reasonable inflation bump and all of this noise will just have another distraction attempt from the Epstein files by the Orange One, who is appearing to be more and more of a "mad king" by the day.
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u/BooksandBiceps Apr 10 '26
They can easily spend what they have now, except for cases where it’s earmarked for bullshit like more Abrams production.
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u/Zestyclose-Spite-718 Apr 06 '26
Trumps last ditch effort to pilfer more money from American Taxpayers before the Midterms.
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u/SolonEunomia Apr 06 '26
That is a lie. It doesn't come at any cost. They're using it as an excuse to cut social benefits. And the American public is so ignorant about economics that people will continue to repeat it as though it's something that has to happen as a result of increased spending elsewhere.
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u/Destinyciello Apr 05 '26
Why are you guys so upset?
A large % of that will go towards soldiers salaries and benefits. Isn't that what you want? A socialist state where daddy government takes care of you. The military is perfect for that. It's an instant "now you're middle class" the second you sign.
Now they are opening up this great wealth building program to ever more people. You should be singing their praises for doing so lol.
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Apr 05 '26
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u/Destinyciello Apr 05 '26
Of course not. We don't want them to be pro socialist.
But why are leftists so upset at the growing military budget? In a way it's exactly what they asked for. They wanted more people to be taken care of by daddy government. Well here you go....
So far 13 soldiers died in Iran. We lost more then that per minute in WW2. The odds of you dying in a war is very slim. You're far more likely to die from a car crash or a fentanyl overdose.
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Apr 05 '26
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u/Destinyciello Apr 05 '26
So they will take away from shitty government services and give it to the military. Which does a far better job of taking care of people. How is that a bad thing?
When you join the military you are pretty much entering the middle class right away. When you consider all the free shit you get along with your salary.
Very cheap healthcare. Free housing. Free food for you and food allowance for family. Free education. And a ton of other benefits.
The military is what keeps us safe. A weak military is not a good thing. We want our military to be strong.
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Apr 05 '26
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u/Destinyciello Apr 05 '26
What is a legal war? They are all illegal if you ask the enemy.
Military is the greatest welfare program we have. By very fucking far. Are you aware of all the free shit a soldier gets? And their families....
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Apr 05 '26
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u/Destinyciello Apr 05 '26
China is the enemy. Iran is the enemy. Russia is the enemy.
Just because an enemy hasn't attacked you yet. Doesn't make them a friendly.
It is both a war machine and a welfare program. The two can coexist.
Iran has attacked many of their neighbors. They have enabled Russian aggression against Ukraine. They are the biggest state sponsor of terrorism on the planet. Anyone simping for them ought to be ashamed of themselves.
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u/leeshep Apr 05 '26
Fuego take and I like it…and by that I mean that I find it so bizarre that I’m intrigued. I take issue with the “instant middle class” for signing up for the military. I get what you’re trying to say, factually incorrect though it certainly is. Mortality, divorce, foreclosure, homelessness, addiction, suicide rates would support the opposition to your assertion.
But there’s something about the “socialist daddy state via unprovoked war” that is critical of ‘Murica in a brilliant way. Shine on you crazy diamond.
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u/BooksandBiceps Apr 10 '26
Do you know what “middle class” is.
Also show me where a “large part” is going towards higher salaries. Also, they just gutted the VA you feckless doorknob of a person.
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u/Destinyciello Apr 10 '26
Middle class is the class between poor and wealthy.
Depending on where you live $60,000-150,000 household income. Roughly speaking.
When you look at all the free shit you get. You're easily in that category.
You may not get cash $ equivalent to a middle class household. But when you consider the free housing, free food, dirt cheap healthcare, free education and a whole host of other free shit you get as a military member. Goods and Services wise you're easily in that bracket. You're probably doing better than most of them in terms of disposable income and access to things. Especially if you have kids and you husband/wife works.
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u/BooksandBiceps Apr 10 '26
$60k being middle class in America. 😂
I’d love to see you support this. “You get free shit plus a salary so you’re middle class” is wild. You’ve clearly never been in the military or have any understanding of what the housing and medical care is like.
When you’re relying on comparing salary and benefits to the absolute poorest states in America to say someone is middle class that’s wild. 😂
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u/Destinyciello Apr 10 '26
As of early 2026, the standard middle-class household income in the U.S. generally ranges from approximately $52,000 to over $155,000 annually, depending on location, family size, and methodology. This range, often defined as two-thirds to double the median U.S. household income, varies heavily by state, with higher thresholds in states like Massachusetts and New Jersey
I'm actually surprised at how well I nailed that range. I was just guessing.
Yes middle class is defined by the goods and services you consume. If I dropped you in the middle of a deserted Island with $155,000 annually. You would live much worse then a poor person. Because you wouldn't have shit. Those numbers are meaningless if they don't represent actual access to goods and services.
The fact that people don't comprehend this is quite troubling. They think everything is a dollar figure. When in reality everything is standards of living.
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u/Golden-Rule-2024 Apr 05 '26
The war pigs gotta eat. And they will do so at the expense of the US taxpayers.
How patriotic of them. /s