Biden just signed a 1.2 trillion dollar funding package to avoid a government shutdown. With his signature, he approved a few things that I found incredibly interesting but not all that surprising.

“The bipartisan funding bill I just signed keeps the government open, invests in the American people, and strengthens our economy and national security,” Biden said in the statement on Saturday.

Al Jazeera
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Here is what the bill does that may not get the splashy headlines:

• It does not include any additional funding to Israel, Ukraine, or Tawain (Reminder a $95b package is pending)
• However, the US will still send $3.8B in aid to Israel
• The bill also eliminates US funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) – which provides vital services on the ground to Palestinians in Gaza and across the Middle East – until March 2025.

Here is where I wish our tax dollars were going.

• The Unhoused: “Homelessness shot up by more than 12% this year, reaching 653,104 people. The numbers represent the sharpest increase and largest unhoused population since the federal government began tallying totals in 2007, the U.S. Department of Urban Planning and Development said Friday.” Source
• Veteran Mental Health: The “veteran suicide rate is down, but nearly 17 soldiers take their own lives every day.” Source
• Food Security Research, Solutions, and Intentional Programs:
  • “Food-insecure households are uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, at some time during the year, enough food to meet the needs of all their members because they had insufficient money or other resources for food: 12.8 percent (17.0 million) of U.S. households were food insecure at some time during 2022. Food-insecure households include those with low food security and very low food security.
    • 7.7 percent (10.2 million) of U.S. households had low food security in 2022.
    • 5.1 percent (6.8 million) of U.S. households had very low food security at some time during 2022.” – Source

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but sometimes I see where tax dollars are going, and I wonder why we keep electing people who do not seem to see the issues experienced by their constituents.

For those looking to help the Unhoused, Veteran, and Food-Insecure populations in your community, I encourage you to contact your local food shelves and soup kitchens. Volunteer, give money, and give food if you can. Remember, the people going through these things are people. Humanize them.