7 Better Ways To Spend $20 Billion Than A Border Wall | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics

7 Better Ways To Spend $20 Billion Than A Border Wall

Here are some programs President Trump wants to cut that would be better uses of our money.

1285
7 Better Ways To Spend $20 Billion Than A Border Wall
Politifact

With so many things losing funding under the Trump Administration, it’s mind-blowing that money is instead being used to pay for a border wall. Here are a few more practical ways to spend these funds (up to $20 billion, according to The New York Times), than building a wall spanning 1,900 miles.

1. Healthcare for all Americans.

As I stated in my last article, I am among the countless Americans who could lose access to healthcare if a viable replacement to the Affordable Care Act is not put into motion. People with pre-existing conditions, young adults who will no longer be able to receive help from their parents until they can afford their own plans, and an overwhelming number of American citizens who are unable to pay outrageous premiums for a variety of reasons all stand to lose.

2. Cancer screenings, STI tests and treatments, sexual education programs, and the prevention of hundreds of thousands of unintended pregnancies yearly.

Planned Parenthood does much more than provide abortion services, and no matter what your stance on abortion, you can’t deny the value of educating young people about their reproductive health and providing tests to prevent disease and methods to treat it.

3. The arts, the humanities, and culture.

The National Endowment for the Arts and The National Endowment for the Humanities give grants to fund projects of these types across America. Fortune states: “arts and cultural production contributed more than $704 billion to the U.S. Economy — this accounts for 4.2% of the United States GDP and is greater than the contributions of the construction ($586.7 billion), transportation and, warehousing ($464.1 billion) industries.” The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is also losing funding. It is responsible for not only educational children’s programming, including Sesame Street, but also a program called Veterans Coming Home, which sheds light on what veterans’ lives look like after they return home and helps to fund services for them (Time).

4. Developmental agencies that are beneficial to America.

The Minority Business Development Agency and Economic Development Administration, which benefit American-owned businesses and communities, are losing their funding. Together, their budgets total approximately 25% of $1 billion (Time), bringing them collectively to 1.2% of the wall’s total cost.

5. Protecting victims of violence.

The Office of Violence Against Women, which costs less than half a billion dollars to run (Time), fights to reduce physical and sexual violence by assisting victims and training officers to help end violent situations. It is also on the list of organizations to which the President wishes to cut spending.

6. Trade and manufacturing.

Perhaps we should continue to fund the International Trade Administration, which increases the revenue of American companies by helping them sell their products abroad as well as domestically, and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which helps businesses become more efficient.

7. Much, much more.

There are countless ways $20 billion could be better spent than on building a wall across the entire border between two countries. Mexico is not the problem. Blaming an entire nation and its people for the actions of a few and punishing them as well as Americans, who will also suffer from the strained national relations, is completely ridiculous.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

Disney magic for New Year!

The "Happiest Place on Earth" has a lot of characters with some pretty great advice.

4574
Disney magic kingdom castle on new years
StableDiffusion

Disney movies are well known and very popular in today's world. Although many people appreciate the plot and the storyline, not many people appreciate the wisdom these characters possess. Every Disney movie has unique advice that can be applied to everyday life. Here are 11 Disney quotes to help start your New Year off right:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

40 Gift Ideas for the Indecisive

It's a time of love, family, memory-making, and gift-giving. But also a time of stressing over the perfect gift.

118970
Christmas gifts around a tree
StableDiffusion

It's officially December. There is less than a month of 2024, and I still feel like yesterday was summer. Now comes the merriest time of the year, the Christmas season.

Everyone has been waiting for this time of year since mid-October (which is way too early, in my opinion) or before. It's a time of love, family, memory-making, and gift-giving. A lot of times when I ask friends and family what they want, I get a lot of "I don't know" or "I don't care."

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Bucket List To Live In The Now

Find excitement in your life and start exploring wherever you are right here, right now.

993
mu bucket list

I was sitting at my cubicle, now that I am an adult, looking at the rain pouring down on the windowsill, bumming on life, wishing for the rain to just stop for a full day.

There are moments where we count down the hours until work is over and how many more days till the weekend, and this many weeks until something exciting. Or something like that? Well, I was bumming because my next day off from work is not until Memorial Day weekend, which is not until the end of May. And since this is my first year out of college being a “real person,” I am totally missing the winter, spring and summer breaks. I am sure all of us have felt this way even if just for a hot minute…

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

11 Ways To Survive Finals As Told By Leslie Knope

Because you know you're going to be stressed out, and Leslie knows exactly how to survive.

725
Everything hurts and I'm dying

So finals are on their way. That's right everybody, finals are about to start.

But hey, don't panic. Start getting your affairs in order and prepare for a week of hell. Here's a few things Leslie Knope wants you to do to make your finals week just a little bit less stressful:

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

10 Signs You Go To Kent State

You know you're a true Kent Stater when...

809
Kent State University
Great Value Colleges

If you go to or went to Kent State, then more than likely you have done or will do some of these things.

1. You’ve slipped and fallen on the ice at least once.

The winters at Kent are brutal, and while the heated sidewalks and some great snow boots are always a help, there’s no chance you won’t bust it on the ice at least once in your four plus years at school.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments