@VeroniqueB99 we said "let's up the budget for ICE insanely because as everyone knows the biggest threat to the US isn't late stage capitalism or dictatorship or climate change it is ten year old mateo from el salvador".
because USAID doesn't make the uber-wealthy money because they have to operate on shoestring budgets so they can't waste money so companies need to. you know. make good stuff. cheaply. insane I know.
...god I hate elon musk.
(5/5 I have to Do Stuff now and can't rant anymore)

@VeroniqueB99 Put another way: If the military cut one (1) Tomahawk missile from their budget, and instead gave that money to USAID, that could save over 2,600 lives.
Just the one.
And instead of saying "let's stop making tomahawk missiles they're really expensive" we said "let's cut USAID budgets".
we said, "let's cut the budget of the IRS which FUCKING MAKES THE GOVERNMENT MONEY". (4/many)

@VeroniqueB99 We cut $3 billion for USAID. We cut $200 million for weather satellites, $80 million for renewable energy programs, and after all of that there is still $134 million left over, and it is insane how some of the best, most efficient government programs operate on shoestring budgets while the military almost literally burns money. USAID saves 4-5 million lives annually (see https://ourworldindata.org/us-foreign-aid-saved-millions). We saved lives for $750 each on average. That is INSANE. (3/many)

@VeroniqueB99 In the budget request, among others, AmeriCorps, Corporation for Public Broadcasting (PBS/NPR), IMLS, Inter-American Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, NEH, US African Development Foundation, US Agency for Global Media (Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, etc), US Institute of Peace, US Interagency Council on Homelessness, Woodrow Wilson Center, Presidio Trust were lumped in. They cost $3.586 billion. Put together. With other things also. (2/ a lot)

@VeroniqueB99 Okay I looked into this and for the record in FY2025 the _US NAVY_ spent _$7 BILLION_ on _BUYING NEW COMBAT AIRCRAFT_.
this is not a budget problem this is a "our military has too damn much money" problem.
Here are some of the highlights of what could be funded with that (based on the amounts that were proposed to be cut: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Fiscal-Year-2026-Discretionary-Budget-Request.pdf, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdj2vldpd1do, $7 billion figure from digging into https://www.usaspending.gov/agency/department-of-defense?fy=2025)
(1/a lot)

@kim_harding oh dear my hand accidentally slipped and I boosted this! alas! woe is palantir! I am so ashamed of myself!

@lowqualityfacts ...by conjuring a dumpster?