It’s been a truly chaotic September. All five days of it. Congress is now at a standstill thanks to Trump’s move to cancel foreign aid already approved by Congress.
The likelihood is that Congressional budget spending will be blocked by the Democrats as a result. That could destroy the Big Beautiful Bill in a matter of weeks with a shutdown. It’s ironic, given how often Republicans tried to block Democratic budgets with shutdowns for decades.
Even Republicans say the blocking move is illegal. The Federal court agrees. Looks like more work for servile SCOTUS cleaning up yet another Trump mess.
Meanwhile, a missile strike against alleged drug smugglers and a large new US military buildup in the Caribbean have made a lot of people nervous about yet another military commitment in Latin America. It could also very well turn into another guerrilla war, but who cares?
Then there’s the good ‘ol Washington, DC crime caper. No crime now, says the White House, thanks to the National Guard. Do tell.
There are patterns to this train wreck. The cut to aid is straight out of the America First Big Book of Cliches for Idiots. No aid for foreigners. The fact that there’s no clear alternative use inside the US for that money isn’t an issue.
The fact that Congressional approval of the foreign aid was given isn’t likely to matter to that audience, either. They don’t care that their elected representatives are now neutered.
The narco strike is also typical conservative drama queen hyperbole. Shooting up one boatload of anything won’t solve America’s narcotics problems. It’s also not much of a “message” to send to a multi-continental, multi-billion-dollar organized crime sector. Using the military looks good to hicks, but not to anyone else. In practice, it’s ultra-inefficient, expensive overkill. It’s like using nuclear weapons on your local cockroaches.
The patterns also include an obvious common factor.
At no point was Congress or anyone else consulted. An executive order was made and whatever it might have been then happened. These are always unilateral decisions with Cabinet facilitators pushing their own agendas. There was no consultation.
The military moves are major big big-budget open-ended commitments. Big talk equates to big money every time. Distributing the National Guard like confetti all over the landscape won’t be cheap, either. The Guard is now expected to be in DC for another nine months.
If you’re trying to get a coherent picture of what’s happening, just follow the whims. It’s all bad calls and nothing but bad calls.
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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.
