@skosiak
Consultant, Non-Resident Fellow, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, expertise in federal budget, defense and international affairs spending, programs and processes. Formerly: Associate Director, OMB, Defense and International Affairs (Obama).
The new FY25 budget covers 1/4 of federal spending (Social Security, other mandatory programs and interest make up the rest). 69% of that spending is for national security, though—like domestic programs—under the caps, Homeland Security, Veterans and International programs are labeled “non-defense”
The US has spent far, far less on supporting Ukraine than it spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. For the Department of Defense, in particular, support for Ukraine amounts to about 5% of the total spent on the other two wars.
With huge cuts being proposed, a key thing to remember is that as a share of GDP federal primary (program) spending has and is projected to grow relatively modestly (driven by aging population).
It's mostly interest costs that are projected to grow and new tax cuts will make that growth way worse.
“The legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but can not do, at all, or can not, so well do, for themselves---in their separate, and individual capacities.”
Abraham Lincoln
Think guaranteed access to health insurance (e.g., Medicaid).
The US has provided $106 billion in direct support to Ukraine, plus $69 billion for US forces and associated support activities.
Nowhere near the $350 billion cost to the US repeatedly cited by Trump.
And most US aid to Ukraine is spent in the US or on US forces (www.aei.org/ukraine-assi...).
The federal government is an insurance company with a military. 51 percent of program spending goes to Social Security and health insurance programs.
26 percent goes to national security.
Everything else—from transportation and medical research to law enforcement—accounts for only 23 percent.