Support International Affairs Budget
The International Affairs Budget is a lot more than an expense; it is an investment in global stability, national security, and economic development. It is less than 1% of the federal budget, however, its impacts are enormous, for it involves the funding of diplomacy, humanitarian aid, and development programs that prevent conflict and encourage trade and alliances.
Cutting this crucial budget would directly undermine U.S. global leadership and severely jeopardize national security. In fact, stability nurtured through diplomacy and foreign assistance is a deterrent to costly military interventions. More so, international development programs create markets for U.S. companies, thus contributing to prosperity at home.
More than any other time in the world, U.S. engagement must sustain growing challenges from pandemics to climate change, to geopolitical conflicts. This investment in diplomacy and development is, therefore, not just an act of charity. It is, in real strategic terms, a safeguard to protect U.S. interests and a secure and prosperous world. I urge Indiana Sens. Todd Young and Jim Banks, along with all nine representatives in Indiana, to work together to support this bill.
Sarang Kim, Bloomington
More pressing issues than preferred pronouns
Seems to me our state officials would have more pressing issues to address than their employees’ preferred pronouns. (“Indiana agency bars pronouns in emails,” HT March 24)
I’m having a lot of trouble understanding why the Department of Natural Resources commissioner, lieutenant governor, and others are so worked up about signatures on state employee emails, other than to follow the lead of their idol in the White House.
Also, I realize that Lt. Gov. Beckwith is eager to identify and remove left-leaning public employees, partly to fire back at universities, including Indiana University, for supposedly discriminating against conservatives, but it seems pretty hypocritical and provocative for a state official.
Zolt Levay, Bloomington
When will it stop?
Bill Ellis’s H-T March 22 letter asking Republican representatives to boost Medicare Advantage programs, cut because they have more benefit to insurance companies than beneficiaries, demonstrates the skewed priorities of Trumpists.
Indiana and national Republican legislators are cutting benefits to millions on Medicaid and Social Security, smearing recipients as committing “fraud, waste and abuse” without evidence, just as federal government programs helping taxpayers are being destroyed, like USAID. A win-win agency, it gave food and medications to needy folks around the world, sold by big pharma and U.S. farmers to the feds.
Destroying it and any program to help U.S. students (dismantling the Department of Education), elderly and/or disabled in order to give more tax breaks to the wealthy, a long-term goal of Republicans, produces depression (crashing the stock market and boosting inflation with tariffs).
Oligarchs Elon Musk and Trump believe that government exists to profit themselves and their wealthiest allies. Our judiciary tries to uphold the Constitution by declaring the attacks illegal, but without enforcement from the FBI, federal marshals, or the D.C. police, all corrupted into cooperation.
People are dying due to this president’s attacks, bringing down our booming economy. When/how will this murderous campaign stop? People’s suffering grows when deprived of legal benefits/rights.
Claire Robertson, Bloomington
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Letters: International Affairs Budget, preferred pronouns, GOP efforts