Unbalanced Budget
This letter to the editor, by Celeste Koeberl, appeared in the Hudson Star Observer on April 9, 2026.
The Preamble of our U.S. Constitution states its purposes: “to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity”.
When the current White House occupant first ran for President, he said money spent on Middle East wars was wasteful and he argued the money should be spent to benefit people in the U.S. — or as our Constitution words it, to promote the general welfare.
At an October 2016 rally in Charlotte N.C., President Donald Trump said: “The people opposing us are the same people — and think of this — who’ve wasted $6 trillion on wars in the Middle East — we could have rebuilt our country twice — that have produced only more terrorism, more death and more suffering — imagine if that money had been spent at home.”
Fast forward to today.
About a month ago, Trump launched a new Middle East war that cost us about $11.3-billion in the first six days and is now costing us $1-billion a day. He now wants another $200-billion of our tax dollars for his war with Iran and there’s no end in sight.
Explaining his 2027 federal budget priorities, Trump now says: “It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare, all of these individual things, they can do it on a state basis. . . . We have to take care of one thing: military protection.”
What happened to his promised “America First” agenda — or in constitutional terms, promoting our general welfare?!?
Imagine what else we could do with the money.
Experts estimate a year of universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds would cost $30 billion; $200 billion would cover free community college; and “Medicare for All” would help the 36 million Americans without health care coverage, while costing our federal government $2 trillion less than our existing programs between now and 2031.
Instead, we’re getting $5/ gallon gas, along with rising inflation and unemployment, plus dead Americans, from Trump’s war. Editor’s note with background: While the cost is currently not this high, J.P. Morgan said the price could soon jump above $5 if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.
Tell Congress to say “NO” to more money for war.