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No matter who gets hurt or how much America is damaged, the Dems will destroy America if that's what it takes to get their way! OMG!

Get this. In the sweltering heat of a partisan deadlock, the U.S. government shutdown has stretched into its 14th grueling day, leaving federal workers in limbo and essential services teetering on the brink. But amid the chaos, one group stands out as the unintended victims of this political theater: America's brave men and women in uniform.

President Donald Trump's bold decision to redirect unspent research and development funds to ensure troops receive their paychecks on October 15 has ignited a firestorm, and nowhere was the fury more palpable than on CNN, where Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania unleashed a tirade that laid bare the stark divide over national security.

Rep. Dean, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, didn't mince words during her interview with anchor John Berman. "Of course I want our military paid," she insisted, her voice laced with indignation. "There's a way to run a government, and this is not the way." But her outrage wasn't just about process; it was a window into a deeper Democratic calculus that prioritizes ideological battles over the warfighters who safeguard the nation.

Trump's maneuver, tapping approximately $8 billion in unused Pentagon R&D funds, ensured that soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines wouldn't miss a paycheck, a move hailed by House Speaker Mike Johnson as a rightful use of "duly appropriated dollars."

Yet to Dean and her allies, this act of fiscal ingenuity is nothing short of "abusing power," a charge that rings hollow against the backdrop of eight failed Democratic votes in Congress to fund essential military operations.

This isn't mere posturing; it's a harbinger of what could befall the U.S. military if Democrats seize full control of Washington. The current shutdown, triggered by Senate Democrats' refusal to meet the 60-vote filibuster threshold despite Republican majorities in both chambers, has already seen the administration pause or cancel nearly $28 billion in funding, much of it tied to programs favored by blue-state constituencies.

Republicans have pushed stopgap measures eight times to keep the lights on for troops and federal law enforcement, only to be stonewalled by demands for unchecked spending hikes, including $1.5 trillion in additional outlays that critics like Sen. JD Vance decry as a "shakedown" to prop up benefits for illegal aliens at the expense of American servicemembers. As Vance put it bluntly on a recent podcast, Democrats are holding the government "hostage" until their pet priorities are reinstated, leaving troops as collateral damage.

Democrats repeatedly blocked emergency funding bills that would have shielded military families from the fallout, all while funneling billions into domestic agendas like green energy subsidies and expanded social welfare. One X user captured the sentiment succinctly: "Democrats have voted to keep the government down again... All because they want to give illegal free rides without tax dollars." It's a playbook that hasn't evolved: use fiscal cliffs to extract concessions, and when the military bleeds, blame the opposition.

If Democrats "get their way," regaining the White House and majorities in 2026 or beyond, the stakes skyrocket. Their platform has long flirted with slashing defense budgets to redirect funds toward climate initiatives and equity programs. In February 2025, amid whispers of a post-Trump pivot, progressive voices within the party amplified calls for major military cuts, with one analyst noting how Democrats had become "the party of war" yet were poised to gut readiness for peacetime pet projects. Imagine a world where F-35 production is halved, overseas bases are shuttered, and training exercises with NATO allies evaporate, not because of strategic retreat, but to balance budgets bloated by unchecked entitlements. Trump's current administration has already vowed to target "Democrat Agencies" for permanent staffing reductions during this shutdown, a scalpel to Democratic excess that could become a sledgehammer under full GOP control.

Trump's Truth Social post cut through the noise: "I am using my authority, as Commander in Chief, to direct our Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, to use all available funds to get our troops PAID." It's a stark contrast to the Democrat strategy, which one observer likened to "extorting the taxpayers" for ideological wins.

As the Senate gears up for yet another doomed vote on a funding bill, the message to servicemembers is clear: Under Trump, your pay is sacrosanct. Under unchecked Democrat rule, it's bargaining fodder. Speaker Johnson nailed it when he challenged Democrats to "go to court" if they dare contest paying the troops; bring it, indeed.

The real abuse of power isn't reallocating idle funds; it's weaponizing a shutdown to undermine the very force that keeps America free.

Final Word: What about the military families who just want a reasonable government, lower taxes, and a happy life? Are the military families the forgotten generation by the Democrats?