In the United States, daily life has become increasingly expensive. Tariffs imposed by Donald Trump have driven up the prices of basic goods. Health and dental insurance, housing rents, and essential services are placing an ever-heavier burden on the average citizen.
Meanwhile, the government spends billions of dollars on military actions that serve no justification other than to fuel the profits of the military-industrial complex. The question is simple: Who pays that bill? The same people who already struggle under the weight of the cost of living.
Operation Southern Spear: $20 Million Per Day to Abduct a President
Among Trump’s most costly military ventures is Operation Southern Spear. Its primary objective was the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro—an action that violates international law and did not even have the approval of the U.S. Congress.
The operation deployed 20 percent of the U.S. Navy’s surface fleet in the Caribbean. The daily cost exceeded $20 million. To put this in perspective:
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest in the U.S. fleet, along with its escort group, $ 11,4 million per day.
Amphibious vessels, destroyers, submarines, and military personnel, including Marines, pilots, technicians, and medical staff: an additional $8.59 million per day.
Since August 2025, the cost of this single operation has surpassed $2 billion in the replenishment of weaponry and munitions used during routine exercises. There is no declared war, no genuine threat to national security—only the imperial obsession to impose by force what diplomacy has failed to achieve.
The abduction of Maduro, according to Bloomberg estimates, cost nearly $3 billion. During that action, U.S. forces bombed civilian areas and killed 32 Cuban officers who were part of the Venezuelan president’s security detail.
The War with Iran: $900 Million Per Day and a Growing Tab
The military deployment did not stop in the Caribbean. In June 2025, the United States launched an initial offensive against Iran. In a single night of airstrikes, expenditures ranged between $100 million and $132.5 million.
Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune acknowledged that the current war with Iran is costing the United States $900 million per day. Congressman Jim McGovern placed the figure even higher, noting the conflict has already accumulated $19 billion in expenses—an amount double the nation’s annual public health investment in disease prevention.
And that is not all. A prominent fiscal expert warned that this military venture could result in cumulative losses of up to $210 billion for the U.S. economy.
The Business of War: Profits for a Few, Debt for All
Who benefits from this extravagance? The wealthy contractors of the military-industrial complex. While hospitals close, public schools deteriorate, and millions of people live without health insurance, weapons manufacturers pocket record profits.
The United States’ external debt reached $29.1 trillion in the third quarter of 2025. Japan holds the largest share of foreign-held U.S. Treasury bonds at $1.2 trillion. China, the largest creditor, holds more than $36 trillion in U.S. debt. Every dollar spent on unnecessary wars adds to that debt, a burden that future generations will ultimately pay.
The Hypocrisy of the Rhetoric: "Champions of Human Rights"
After bombing civilians, abducting presidents, and deploying entire fleets in the Caribbean, the Trump administration styles itself as a “champion of human rights.” Trump himself boasts of deserving the Nobel Peace Prize.
It is the same rhetoric used to justify the blockade against Cuba, sanctions against Venezuela, and threats of “friendly takeover.” In reality, what exists is a war machine without limits that invariably crushes the most vulnerable.
The Words of Martí for an Empire That Does Not Learn
José Martí was prescient when he wrote: “In this tumultuous, sumptuous, and enormous nation, life is nothing more than the pursuit of fortune. This is the sickness of its greatness.”
The sickness of greatness—that which leads to spending billions on wars while citizens suffer unemployment, lack of housing, and the inability to afford health insurance. That sickness which prevents an understanding that nations have the right to choose their own systems of government without an empire seeking to subdue them by force.
Conclusion: The Bill Is Always Paid by the Same People
Trump’s exorbitant military expenditures are not an accident. They are a political decision. A decision that prioritizes the interests of the military-industrial complex over the basic needs of the population.
Meanwhile, American citizens continue to bear the costs: tariffs that increase their purchases, inaccessible healthcare services, and debts that only continue to grow. And the administration insists that all of this is for their “security” and “greatness.”
But history, and the numbers, speak for themselves. (CubaSí)
