1. United States
2. Letter

I am writing today as an ordinary American trying to understand something that should not be this hard to grasp: how our country can afford so much abroad, yet still tell its own people there is “not enough” at home. Let’s talk in plain terms. Right now, the United States sends roughly $3.8 billion per year to Israel. That comes out to about $10 million every single day. (Council on Foreign Relations) At the same time, the current war involving Iran is costing the U.S. roughly $500 million per day, based on early Pentagon and independent estimates. (The Guardian) That means—combined—we are already at over half a billion dollars per day for just those two commitments. Now add the ongoing costs of maintaining immigration detention systems (ICE), enforcing long-standing sanctions like the Cuban blockade, and broader military operations tied to both. While exact daily numbers vary, these systems together represent billions more per year, easily translating to tens of millions more per day. So in simple terms, we are spending: - $500+ million per day on a war that American voters neither want nor support - $10+ million per day on military aid to Israel, a nation that we also subsidize to provide its citizens universal healthcare despite not having it for our own - Tens of millions more per day on detention and enforcement systems That is well over half a billion dollars—every single day. Now let’s put that into human terms. Half a billion dollars per day could: - House tens of thousands of homeless families - Provide medical care to millions of uninsured Americans - Fully fund school meal programs nationwide - Expand mental health services in every state - Lower prescription drug costs dramatically - Invest in affordable housing at scale Instead, we are told that feeding children, housing families, or providing healthcare is “too expensive.” It is not too expensive. It is a matter of priorities. Every dollar is a choice. Right now, the choice is clear: we are funding war, foreign military aid, and detention systems at levels that could fundamentally transform life for people here at home. So I am asking you directly: Why is it acceptable to spend over half a billion dollars a day on these efforts—but not to ensure that Americans are fed, housed, and cared for? And more importantly: What are you going to do to change that? The American people deserve a government that invests in them with the same urgency and scale that it invests in conflict and control.