ion.
With a "t."
That's how much US president Donald Trump wants Congress to appropriate for military (falsely called "defense") spending in 2027.
And that number -- there's no other way to put this -- is insane. The only proper date for such a spending request, followed by a winking grin emoji, is April 1.
Let's compare.
At the height of the US war in Vietnam, in 1969, the US government spent about $85.5 billion ($761 billion in inflated 2026 dollars) on "defense."
In 1991, when the US deployed hundreds of thousands of troops for Desert Storm, the US government spent about $313 billion, or $750 billion accounting for inflation.
In 2004, while fighting wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan, that number was about $450 billion, or $780 billion in 2026 dollars.
Yes, it's wartime again.
As usual, the war -- this time with Iran -- is entirely illegal/unconstitutional (only Congress can declare war, and it hasn't).
And, as usual, the war is entirely optional and serves no defensive purpose whatsoever.
The president keeps telling us THIS war will be over Real Soon Now, and he started talking about a $1.5 trillion military budget months before he launched Operation Epic Fail, so the 40% bump clearly isn't about Iran.
In what universe does the already bloated US military need nearly half again as much money next year as this year, and twice as much as it needed during previous wars?
I'm not one of those people who waxes sentimenal over what the US government COULD spend money on rather than fake "defense."
That money SHOULD be left in the wallets of taxpayers rather than being taxed from them or borrowed in their names.
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