1. United States
2. Del.
3. Letter

I need to express my strong opposition to the military parade scheduled for Donald Trump's birthday. The exorbitant cost of the parade – estimated to be upwards of $92 million of taxpayer money – is a slap in the face of everyone currently suffering from the deep and unwarranted funding cuts Trump and his administration have made to organizations in healthcare, education, environmental welfare, public health, foreign aid, and even the military and veterans. Furthermore, Trump undoubtedly intends to use the military parade to glorify himself rather than honor our service personnel. Scheduling the parade for his birthday suggests he will use it as a grandiose display to boost his own ego, after his attempts to get a parade solely in his honor have failed in the past. If we want to truly celebrate the bravery and dedication of American service personnel, we owe them real, tangible support, not a co-opted parade. It’s clear what Americans want: cancel this parade and redirect funds to programs that genuinely benefit our nation.