Our tax dollars are paying for the occupation of Minnesota by 2,000 or more federal agents, including ICE. With our money they batter down doors of homes with children inside, pull people from cars, assault legal observers, spray high schoolers with irritants, and kill Renee Good in her car as her wife watches. We paid for the three bullets shot into Ms. Good. Her killer walks free.

Why allow such terror created with our own money?

One reason: Our history of spending money on militarized forces operating with impunity abroad.

We are the world’s largest provider of military aid. Historically, our top recipient of foreign and military aid is Israel. Since October 2023 we’ve sent $21.7 billion. With this money, Israel obliterated Gaza’s infrastructure and continues its killing of Gazans, now over 70,000 dead. In the occupied West Bank, illegal settlements expand and Israeli forces and settlers have killed over a 1,000. In December, Ahmad Rajabi, 17, was shot driving his family’s car. Israeli forces allege he attempted to run over a soldier — the same reason given for shooting Ms. Good. An ambulance was prevented from reaching Ahmad Rajabi, just as a doctor on the scene was denied access to Ms. Good.

What could we have instead?

Northampton’s National Priorities Project identifies what we could be spending our tax dollars on instead of militarism and occupation, including housing, education, health, and clean energy. An example from their Trade-Offs tool:

Nationally, we are spending $77.31 billion on Deportations and Detentions in FY25 and FY26. Combine that with the $21.7 billion in Israeli military aid for a total of nearly $100 billion.

In Easthampton, where I live and where we face a housing crisis, our share of that total is $4.17 million, enough to cover 380 public housing units for a year!

Would you rather pay for houses than bullets? If so, remind Congress this is our money and not to use it for occupation at home or abroad. Tell them to block appropriations for ICE and to sign on to the Block the Bombs to Israel bill.

Carolyn Cushing

Easthampton