Trump’s military parade is expected to cost about $12 million, according to three defense officials who spoke with CNN earlier this week. That might be a drop in the bucket for the military budget, but it’s still a lot of money to spend on marching around in uniforms and loud planes over the capital.
[Related: Pentagon grudgingly begins planning for Trump’s military parade: Report]
If Trump truly wants to honor the military rather than dump money into a self-aggrandizing parade that the military doesn’t even want, here are just three alternative ways, among many others, to spend those millions.
Trump could put that money towards veteran’s healthcare. Earlier this week, the White House warned Congress that they would need to cut funding for other programs to fund veteran’s healthcare. This warning came because last month Trump shifted how some veteran’s health programs were funded with a bill that granted veterans more healthcare options. The new bill now required congressional allocation of funds where previously that money had been guaranteed.
The timing of that change, however, came after a budget deal had already been made meaning that to fund the program to meet the White House’s mandate, Congress would have to renegotiate the budget on issues it has already agreed on. The warning from the White House comes as some senators are trying to raise spending caps to fund the program rather than re-litigate agreed upon spending. Although the millions for the parade probably wouldn’t fill the spending gap that Trump created, it would help far more than a parade will.
Another option would be for the president to put that money towards paying VA hospital managers closer to market rates. Right now, the cap on their salary is less than half what hospital managers would make in the private sector, leaving little incentive for highly qualified people to stay in the job. That means high turnover and a host of problems because of turnover in management including low morale and lack of institutional knowledge.
Finally, if the president won’t fix management and funding issues then he might put that money towards a program that could provide immediate and much-needed help. For example, he could commit to expediting repairs to veteran’s wheelchairs and other mobility devices, which an audit released earlier this year showed some veterans had to wait 210 days for. While they wait for what should be quick repairs or replacements, veterans who rely on these devices lose mobility and are often confined to beds. Surely, helping disabled veterans get around is more important than watching a parade for a few hours?
After all, if Trump really wants his parade, he could at least foot the bill himself rather than pushing taxpayer dollars for presidential entertainment on Pennsylvania Ave.
