Stephen Semler
@stephensemler
Tracks and charts policy | co-founder, SPRI (@security_reform) | http://stephensemler.bsky.social
Biden deported a decade-high 270K people last year. Trump wants to deport 1 million per year. The Big Beautiful Bill gives ICE an extra $75 billion, 25% of which the White House says it will use in 2026. This would triple ICE’s annual budget:
ICE funding will likely triple next year to $30 billion, more than Poland spent on its military last year. Compared to the world’s largest military budgets, ICE’s 2026 budget would rank in the top 15.
The projected $30 billion for 2026, visualized above, should be considered a minimum estimate. Read more: stephensemler.com/p/ice-budget-s…
The relentless genocide: 58,380 victims now listed by name. A month ago #Gaza’s Ministry of Health released a list of 55,202 named and identified victims killed by Israel since 7 October 2023. Today, just 4 weeks later, its latest list covering up to 14 July contains 3,178 more…
WATCH: Armed Services members mock @RoKhanna for voting against the largest military budget in US history All other @HASCDemocrats (except @RepSaraJacobs) voted to spend 1 TRILLION on war — even as working families continue to struggle across the country #NDAA @HASCRepublicans
I am used to the good-natured ribbing from my colleagues. But I do not believe we need a $1 trillion budget to have a strong, modern defense. And I want to see more investment in good jobs at home than billions spent on more wars abroad.
HASC Chairman @RepMikeRogersAL has accepted over $2.7 million in campaign cash from military contractors over his career, including $536,550 during the last election cycle.
WATCH: Armed Services members mock @RoKhanna for voting against the largest military budget in US history All other @HASCDemocrats (except @RepSaraJacobs) voted to spend 1 TRILLION on war — even as working families continue to struggle across the country #NDAA @HASCRepublicans
Bill Clinton's National Performance Review pushed corporate ideology and practices into government in the name of efficiency. Government contracts to corporations surged. Example: contractors ate 34% of the Pentagon budget in 1992, but 46% in 2000:
Clinton did enact meaningful cuts in the defense budget, but not at the expense of the corporations
Bill Clinton's National Performance Review pushed corporate ideology and practices into government in the name of efficiency. Government contracts to corporations surged. Example: contractors ate 34% of the Pentagon budget in 1992, but 46% in 2000:
The Big Beautiful Bill pushes this year’s military budget past $1 trillion. I wrote a bill that rescinds its $156 billion for the Pentagon and sends people $600 checks with the savings: