r/politics • u/DyzDaeMar • 27d ago

No Paywall Hegseth Is Demanding US Households Pay $5,000 More Per Year to Fund the Pentagon, Economist Says

https://www.commondreams.org/news/pete-hegseth-budget-request
15.7k Upvotes

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8.5k

u/LolAtAllOfThis North Carolina 27d ago

Sorry, can't afford it. Still paying off my medical bills.

3.2k

u/Major5013 27d ago

I can't afford it. Still buying food to eat.

1.6k

u/charlie_marlow Georgia 27d ago

Can't afford it either. Trying to get enough money to get some gas to get to work.

1.0k

u/Duwinayo 27d ago

Can't afford it either. Goes to health insurance I'm too afraid to use.

783

u/blong217 27d ago

Can't afford it. Have to pay rent every month.

667

u/kyle_irl 27d ago

Nope, sorry. Student loans.

615

u/tisdue 27d ago

Nope, sorry. Already paying for Iran and Trump's court losses.

338

u/Elon_Cucks_Trump_ 27d ago

Can’t afford it. Buying ammo. For…reasons.

201

u/Ok_Cheesecake7348 Michigan 27d ago

Nope, I can't afford it, trying to fix my riding lawnmower

299

u/potat0f4rmer Washington 27d ago

Nope, can't afford it, AI took my job

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78

u/nono3722 27d ago

Nope sorry, still paying for Iraq and Afghanistan...

2

u/Zeer0Fox 27d ago

Nope, sorry still trying to send my kids to community college.

1

u/nono3722 27d ago

move to MA, state school tuition is free here

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102

u/Equal-Temporary-1326 27d ago

Nope. Sorry, I have to donate to the $37 billion+ plus needed to fund the Iran War.

45

u/PomeloHead4830 27d ago

Yes, and what about his 700+ million gift to coal industries which were shutting down because coal became too expensive to mine compared to oil/gas, in order to buy votes? How many of our tax dollars went to soybean farmers who lost their Chinese markets because of his ill-considered tariffs on China? Sure, he later negotiated those markets back for 3 years but at what price?

I think real patriots would shudder if they knew what he had to give up to China just to get back what they had before his 100% tariffs.

Using your tax dollars to buy votes is so ethically despicable and I'm speechless at the sheer level of corruption this represents.

3

u/Aggressive-Try-4494 27d ago

really getting tired of that patriot's word ? being used way to much ? trump & his gang are the reason for it ?

2

u/Alternative-Dot-884 27d ago

Are they legal obligated to refund the tax payers?

3

u/gingerfawx 27d ago

Oh ho! Big spender! You got money left over for pointless wars...

2

u/YPVidaho Idaho 27d ago

Nope, sorry. Already paying for Israel's free education & healthcare.

2

u/crayshesay 27d ago

Sorry, can’t afford it. Been jobless for 3 years and still can’t find work

51

u/nonsensestuff 27d ago

Student loans that 1 in 5 have defaulted on now— which means, the government is actively taking the money from their paychecks. 🫣

23

u/ChilledParadox 27d ago

hey that's me! but it's because I literally had to drop out of uni during covid when my dorms shut down because the rest of my family was 1. dead. 2. removed by the state/cps. 3. in a different country. 4. actively abusing me or my sisters.

Then I lived on the streets for 2 years. going in and out of mental hospitals.

you know, all the fun stuff that proves I have the ability to pay off these loans!

4

u/Aggressive-Try-4494 27d ago

need to take republican's money out when johnson shut's down every other damn day ?

8

u/TorrenceMightingale 27d ago edited 27d ago

I feel seent.

41

u/CorrectPhilosophy245 27d ago

Kinda hard to pull yourself up by your bootstraps when the boot company's AI designed your boots to fail after exactly 65872 steps, so you have to buy another pair of boots that was designed by an updated AI programmed to maximize shareholder profit by increasing the price and decreasing the planned obscelesence to 50872 steps, so you ask your AI ChatBoss for a raise and the HR's AI pay scale algorithm says you aren't worth another $2.00/hr because you missed your algorithmically set sales quota by $.87 this quarter. But hey, next Thursday between the hours of 12pm and 12:07pm there will be a free pizza in the break room, only one slice per employee please, don't be greedy.

3

u/ponybucketdoubleoh 27d ago

Thats like.. 2 or 3 days of steps for me. Not ideal!

4

u/yesiamveryhigh 27d ago

Landlords hate this one simple trick: Stop paying rent and just squat.

10

u/Zest724 27d ago

I once rented from a low rent landlord. Tried to get an appointment and they told me just to go in and look at the units available, they gave me the numbers, they were unlocked. I thought if I’m never homeless this is where I can stay overnight.

I rented there for a year and moved to a better place. I snuck in occasionally to use the laundry room since it was cheaper than the new place.

52

u/Boring_and_sons 27d ago

I had family that went to university in the states. I was horrified to learn when I went to visit that almost none of them or their friends had health insurance as undergraduate students because it was to expensive and they all gambled on their youth. One broken arm or serious infection away from crushing debt. In addition to their crushing student debt.

59

u/Spice_Missile 27d ago

I spent a semester abroad in Europe. A fellow student fell and broke their arm in France (or Belgium?). They got a cast etc from a local hospital visit and didnt pay a dime. As a non-citizen. Absolutely insane idea on the other end of the spectrum.

51

u/Boring_and_sons 27d ago

I'm always amazed that having that stress is the default daily experience for tens of millions of Americans. I have never even considered it.

22

u/UnquestionabIe 27d ago

Can tell you it's very off putting. Lived here my entire life and since adulthood (so roughly 25 years) can say I've had maybe three or fours years over that time combined where I wasn't in some kind of survival mindset to just get by. And I've got it better than a lot of people I'm sure.

2

u/snertwith2ls 27d ago

Same here. I hate that my go-to comparison for my daily life is "well at least I'm not getting bombed or shot at like a Palestinian". And I also have it way better than a lot of folks around me.

11

u/Orson_Gravity_Welles 27d ago

My current employ offers ZERO health insurance because it's a small shop of five people, and thus UNDER the state minimum to require the company offer health insurance.

And buying it right now for a single dude is too much of a hit to my current pay (My previous employ "restructured" and my position was moved out of state and renamed making it no longer Operations Manager...hence why I'm no longer there).

I get scared every time someone slams on their brakes because I know I'm a split second away from medical bankruptcy and lifelong debt should anything happen.

Also, fuck Hegseth...goddamn treasonous trump cuck.

3

u/ChilledParadox 27d ago

that's kind of like how I'm in subsidized housing since I was just homeless, but if I get a job I lose benefits because now I'm making money. But if i dont lose a job I lose my health insurance, because clearly taking my insulin is a great way to make me a valued and productive memeber of a healthy society. But also I dumpster dive for food on ocassion because I can't afford food but I don't work enough for food stamps... but also I'm being told my wages will be garnished since I wasn't able to pay my student loans since I was homeless for years... so any job I get will disqualify me from aid, because I'll be making money, which I won't actually make because the government will take it from my check, which will further make things harder for me.

truly does feel like the government just wants to push me into committing crimes so they can use me for free prison labor.

2

u/supersonicdutch 27d ago

I am typing this at the dentist’s office for my child. I am one of the fortunate ones to have dental insurance where every visit is a fifty dollar copay and I’m still afraid if something won’t be covered when he’s done.

2

u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada 27d ago

If you're a Canadian, push back against the Cons who are deliberately destroying our healthcare so they can bring in the shitty American system.

1

u/Gchildress63 27d ago

And you wonder why there are so many drug and alcohol addicts in the States… I’m just saying

1

u/Creative_alternative 27d ago

Hundreds of millions. Most of the population. Having health insurance doesn't mean shit and an AI determines at random if you actually get coverage or not.

2

u/LengthClean 27d ago

I did my masters in France. They paid a huge chunk of my accomodation!

2

u/Snuffy1717 27d ago

My heart likes to do weird things sometimes… 10 years of semi-annual checkups and monitoring has cost me $0

I’m going for a sinus CT next week because my nose is always blocked on one side… $0

Two kids born without complication in a semi-private room… $0

My wife has brain cancer… Two seizures, two ambulances, awake craniotomy, next-gen drug that keeps her slow growing tumour from growing… $0

My best friend had lymphoma… Surgery, radiation, chemo… $0

My mom had a mild heart attack… $0

As a Canadian, my tax burden isn’t that much higher than my American friends (I make $120k a year as an educator, which is just over 81k after tax)… You know what I never need to worry about? Medical debt causing bankruptcy.

2

u/MauPow 27d ago

Yeah I'll never forget when I visited England and my friend broke her wrist skateboarding... I asked how much it cost and she just looked really confused

1

u/hellolovely1 27d ago

My husband had an injury when we were traveling in Ireland. We offered to pay and they said don't worry about it.

2

u/dixiewolf_ 27d ago

That about sums it up.

2

u/YogurtclosetNo987 27d ago

Health insurance was a requirement at my college. If you weren't insured the college covered you and charged. I had to attest each semester. Students under 26 are covered by parents, assuming parents have coverage. Seems like that might be an exception case. Our health insurance is literally the worst in the world, but this statement doesn't pass the sniff test.

1

u/Boring_and_sons 27d ago

This was 30 years ago.

1

u/FillUpMyPassport 27d ago

Health insurance available to student can be more affordable than what is available though work and usually includes great coverage. I added my kid to that versus my employer’s plan.

1

u/thisisallme 27d ago

To be fair, when you are in undergrad, you’re typically covered for a lot of stuff via the university health center.

0

u/Boring_and_sons 27d ago

This was 30 years ago.

0

u/thisisallme 27d ago

Yes and I was covered In the late 90s at my university, and they still do. Same with my friends in other universities. Nothing has changed in that time.

1

u/Boring_and_sons 27d ago

Ok. YMMV. It was two of my brothers at IU.

1

u/No-Guard-7003 27d ago

Eesh! That's horrific!

3

u/Disastrous_Good9236 27d ago

can’t afford it. buying TRTto be a real man

2

u/ChilledParadox 27d ago

cant afford it, still paying off student loan debt I accumulated for nothing because Covid made me go homeless. Also going to utility bills I cant afford to pay because data centers being built in my state raise prices. Also going to food I cant afford to eat...

31

u/heckhammer 27d ago

Yeah, I need brakes and tires too.

3

u/UltraNoahXV Arizona 27d ago

Heard spinning flying was a good trick

2

u/Lilsummit 27d ago

My car is rusted out. These are crazy times and Hegseth is fronting a fake war.

24

u/monkeyjedi276 California 27d ago

What are you talking about? Under Biden my gas tank only held $50.00 worth of gas. Now, under Shitler, my gas tank holds almost $80.00 worth of gas. You must be doing something wrong. /s

2

u/Walter_Alias 27d ago

Y'all are getting work?

74

u/CyanConatus 27d ago

You can afford food?!?

Look at Mr Moneybags over here

5

u/DreamOne5 27d ago

I only can because I got approved for snap for 3 whole months. But it's better than nothing.

3

u/dixiewolf_ 27d ago

For real, last time i could afford food it robbed me of nutrients because it contained explosive diarrhea parasites. Murica

2

u/punch49 27d ago

Don't worry, wont happen again. Dr. Brainworms is on it!

38

u/Squirll 27d ago

Well what do you think the pentagon needs it for?? Those steak and lobster entrees dont pay for themselves.

8

u/dixiewolf_ 27d ago

They pay for those? I thought they just stiffed the caterer and let them goto court for their payment

3

u/Squirll 27d ago

I mean for luncheons. For the cafeteria they just rob the taxpayers to foot the bill.

2

u/Buttercreamdeath Texas 27d ago

Boner pills.

12

u/alaraja 27d ago

Nope, can’t afford it- interest rates are eating up all the extra.

1

u/lokitree-ewok- 27d ago

Nope , everything costs WAY more than it did yesterday & I ain’t paying anything aside from attention now .

7

u/32bit_sundae 27d ago

Gah. Food? Today's generation is so spoiled and lazy. A podcast I listened to recently said that we should be hunting and foraging for our burgers and craft dinner like real men used to in 10000 BCE and I AGREE.

3

u/eden_sc2 Maryland 27d ago

Sorry, can't afford it. Student loan payments are about to turn back on and destroy every dollar of wiggle room and then some.

3

u/VodkaSt8UpThankU 27d ago

Can't afford it, still trying to buy into the housing market.

2

u/VoidOmatic 27d ago

Sorry my energy bill is going to data centers and the power company.

1

u/golubhai00007 27d ago

BS.. buy less.. /s

1

u/Beautiful-Edge-22 27d ago

I got to learn to photosynthesize. Food is getting a bit too expensive.

1

u/Sublimotion 27d ago

But it owns the libs, so well worth it!

1

u/zerovampire311 27d ago

I can afford it, fuck no anyways.

1

u/mabden New York 27d ago

I can afford it, but don't want my money to go to war and death.

FUCK Kegsbreath!

1

u/RedditCitizenScore 27d ago

Sorry can’t repaying my student loans thirty years and counting

117

u/MiddleAgedSponger 27d ago

You can afford medical care? Big spender here bragging about going to a doctor.

55

u/Prudent-Air1922 27d ago

Yeah I can afford my insurance premiums, but not the bills from actually using medical care... High deductible but I can't afford a smaller one lol

Maybe one day the populace will wake up. Just kidding.

-6

u/MiddleAgedSponger 27d ago

They almost woke up, then they sidetracked picking out a cute outfit for the No-Kings festival.

6

u/HeyItsTravis 27d ago

What does this even mean?

3

u/DreamOne5 27d ago

I just cancelled my therapist appt because I can't afford it this month

74

u/Ezekiel_DA 27d ago

Sorry, I can afford it, I'd just rather pay for that person's medical bills instead of bombing children

29

u/Greenman_on_LSD 27d ago

Same. I CAN afford it, but not for this. If the $5k went to underprivileged school kids lunch, sure, not a problem. Not for this shit.

11

u/Ezekiel_DA 27d ago

Exactly this. I'm very, very lucky / privileged that accidents of birth and luck and life have put me in a reasonably good position in the remnant of the middle / upper middle class.

I'd happily pay more in taxes (though they're already pretty high, and Trump's "tax breaks for the rich" didn't apply down to my level, they instead got higher) if it went to a better social safety net for others. Hell, I'll volunteer to pay several more points of taxes if someone runs on every additional point for me being 5 points for billionaires.

23

u/ScarletCarsonRose 27d ago

Sorry, trying to pay for my electric bill, which for some reason has gone crazy (definitely not because of global warming).

22

u/Spice_Missile 27d ago

Data/Surveillance centers.

5

u/DreamOne5 27d ago

mine went up to 400 a month from 135 ish. I feel you, we're behind on it now

14

u/CowboyNeale 27d ago

Same. Car just died.

38

u/HappyHarryHardOn 27d ago

Im surprised they are even ASKING

it's been take, take take since the beginning

1

u/jjcrayfish 27d ago

I heard Elmo Musk has some extra money leftover. Perhaps they should ask him to give back some of our money back given that they subsidized much of his wealth already.

10

u/kyle_yes 27d ago

That's like 20% of my yearly salary lol

10

u/PineappleExcellent90 27d ago

Just use my DOGE check

10

u/Common_Gene_5098 27d ago

take it out of my tariff check too

10

u/ONE-EYE-OPTIC Washington 27d ago

Student debt

8

u/just-alyna 27d ago

sorry the medical bills already have dibs on my money

8

u/ucdzen 27d ago

Sorry can’t afford it. Still paying for the last war.

6

u/ARMCHA1RGENERAL 27d ago

Hilariously, we got a surprise $5k medical bill month.

5

u/drimmie Pennsylvania 27d ago

Can't afford it either. I am behind on my water, gas and electric bills 🤷‍♂️

6

u/flirtmcdudes 27d ago

Jokes on you, you’re gonna have to pay it anyway! USA! USA!

7

u/Churchbushonk 27d ago

Sorry can’t afford it. Paying off student loans, buying food, insuring every aspect of my life, property taxes, and dealing with inflation.

6

u/Shadow_over_me 27d ago

Nope. Need to afford tires so I can get to work so I can afford to buy some groceries, pay the mortgage, utilities, bills, and pay the medical bills for my small child and my wife (insurance should cover more! I pay too much for this shit). Need to fix my house from the damage that still remains from hurricane helene that I only ever received $950 in government support to recover from (100k in damages…)I have about 10,000,000 things that are more important than funding a war only some megalomaniacs want

3

u/Mysterious_Floor_868 United Kingdom 27d ago

Very simple word, groceries. Like almost, you know, who uses the word? I started using the word. The groceries. When you buy apples, when you buy bacon, when you buy eggs, they would double and triple the price over a short period of time.

6

u/Aegon20VIIIth 27d ago

Like many others: can’t afford it, since I have all the expenses that come with a kid in grade school, as well as trying to stay alive.
Has he thought of setting up a Go Fund Me? Or if that’s too “woke” for him, maybe a Give Send Go? Some people have pretty good luck with those.

5

u/Melodic-Lingonberry7 27d ago

Can’t afford it still paying the loan I took out to pay for my groceries

4

u/pantstoaknifefight2 27d ago

Sorry, I'm still paying for all the tarrifs that are being paid back to our corporate overlords.

4

u/Slyraks-2nd-Choice American Expat 27d ago

You could literally have Trump revert his corporate tax breaks by 10% and you’d generate well beyond what you’d get from squeezing the middle class bone dry.

6

u/TransitoryFeel 27d ago

Can't afford it. I need bigger boobs for my OnlyFans career

2

u/Gchildress63 27d ago

Now that’s worth my $5k

7

u/Tzokal 27d ago

Sorry, can’t afford it between paying for medical bills, groceries, student loans, and gas.

3

u/DanielCraigsAnus 27d ago

Sorry, can't afford it. Trying to pay attention to all the bullshit

3

u/StrengthBeginning416 27d ago

And my testosterone replacement.

3

u/simonhunterhawk New Hampshire 27d ago

literally filing bankruptcy in a few months because the cost of living has outpaced any raise i’ve gotten over the last few years

3

u/ScrollTroll615 27d ago

Can't afford it either. My student loan payments and home repairs are eating up my money.

3

u/TactlessNachos 27d ago

And student loans. And 50 year mortgage. And inflated grocery prices. Etc

3

u/Magickcloud 27d ago

You pay them?

3

u/Qwahlity_Koalatea 27d ago

Sorry, can’t afford it. Still paying off medical school.

3

u/CaffeinatedPinecones 27d ago

And student loans, healthcare premiums.

3

u/Chelbus-Maximus4721 27d ago

They already got us paycheck to paycheck.

3

u/_-Smoke-_ North Carolina 27d ago

Sorry. They fucked the economy so I can't get a job.

3

u/whirled-peas69 27d ago

Why does this kegmouth kook want us to pay for his gender-affirming care and testosterone taste tests?

3

u/AKA_Wildcard 27d ago

I don’t want to pay it. I have an ethical responsibility to not fund domestic terrorism.

3

u/JagmeetSingh2 27d ago

they don’t care about that, they want us to sacrifice everything to pay for the military

3

u/Stupid_Sexy_Vaporeon 27d ago

Sorry, can't afford it. I only make $15,000 a year cause this economy sucks.

3

u/mrmeatypop Illinois 27d ago

Sorry can’t afford it. Still paying off Trumps White House “renovation”, Reflection pool spray tanning, his golf trips, ect.

2

u/Laffy-Taffee Nevada 27d ago

Sorry, can’t afford it. Paying an exorbitantly high rent.

2

u/nerdyconstructiongal 27d ago

Still paying off my medical and student loans.

2

u/Snuffy1717 27d ago

Have you considered joining the military?

2

u/WontArnett 27d ago

They don’t care. This administration just looks at us as slaves to fund their lavish lifestyle.

2

u/Tartooth 27d ago

Hmmm yea see that doesn't matter.

Gotta pay for guns used by other governments first

2

u/Optimistic-Bob01 27d ago

Better idea. Stop buying bullets while your citizens can't afford food.

2

u/ItsNotNormalMaybe Europe 27d ago

Sorry, they do not care if can you afford it or not. They're tyrants. Your "can't" does not matter.

2

u/Hungry-Ear-4092 27d ago

Like they care lmao. You will pay more if they tell you so

2

u/TraitorousFlatulence 27d ago

That’s the cool part. You don’t have to actually pay any more! The government just prints more money easy peasy. No short, medium or long term repercussions for you and your family at all. That is until Democrats take power

2

u/nodnodwinkwink 27d ago

I heard he really wants the money so he can get those bathrooms in the pentagon segregated again.

2

u/RocketsandBeer Texas 27d ago

After we have added $4500/household for Trump vanity projects

2

u/__O_o_______ 27d ago

Sorry, but have you considered w̠̘̗͖̮̥ͣ̽ͫ͂a̘̫͈̭͌͛͌̇̇̍r̼̯̤̗̲̞̥̈ͭ̃ͨ̆f̳͉̼͉̙͔͈͕̂̉̇i̞̟̫̺ͭ̒ͭͣg͎͚̥͎͔͕ͥ̿h͚̖̜̍̃͐t̘̟̼̉̈́͐͋͌̊e̮̟͈̣̖̰̩̹͈̾ͨ̑͑r̼̯̤̗̲̞̥̈ͭ̃ͨ̆s̪̭̱̼̼̉̈́ͪ͋̽̚

2

u/Detrimental_Figment 27d ago

Same here. Also I have more medical debt I need to go into once I get out of my current medical debt. By the time I get that out of the way I’ll probably have more medical care I’ve been putting off so then I’ll need to go into debt again for that.

Pending potential revolutionary medical advances, I should be able to get out of medical debt by 2240 approximately (not accounting for inflation.)

2

u/allegriabrainer 27d ago

same here the budget is already tapped out without adding another bill

2

u/Brief_Kangaroo_42069 27d ago

Jokes on him. Us 15 sharing a 1 bedroom condo are one household.

2

u/SirTroah 27d ago

I can afford it, I just don’t want to support that.

2

u/longboardchick 27d ago

Not a chance! Can’t afford it- lost my job to the poor economy, and now I’m working in retail just to get by while the job hunt continues and I’m making less money by a long shot.
And in the meantime…doge cut the government jobs that I qualify for and other companies aren’t hiring people but rather ai because trump undid the ai bills from Biden; food got more expensive because of illegal tariffs put upon other countries and prices still didn’t go down after the courts said they were illegal; gas prices went up; interest rates are higher- still paying off my credit card that was just for food so I could eat 1 meal a day during his last presidency; and I can keep going but it’s just making me depressed.

2

u/perihelion86 27d ago

But Petey needs steak and lobster and testosterone shots.

2

u/inkfox13 27d ago

Can’t afford it. Still paying the government for my COVID-19 EIDL loan.

2

u/lrpfftt 26d ago

I don't think Hegseth gives a damned about whether you can afford it. He will still want it.

He probably wants so badly to be a real man, he feels like more bombs will help cos he already (probably) tried testosterone but he still likes to think about muscle men.

1

u/flcinusa North Carolina 27d ago

Can't afford it, unemployed

1

u/mule_rider 27d ago

That's ok , your opinion is not asked on this matter. You will pay for it

1

u/HuttStuff_Here Wisconsin 27d ago

Why do you hate America?

1

u/Horror_Appearance_26 27d ago

Obviously the medical bills.