According to Statista, the United States spent about $997 billion in 2024 on the military. That's more than the next 10 countries combined. On the always conversational r/AskReddit, Reddit user u/workingjuggler18 asked: What do you think would actually happen if the US redirected 30% of its annual military budget to education? The answers were bleak, to say the least:
1."If it were even just a one-time allotment, it would transform US education, and I generally hate the word 'transform' in education. We could address physical infrastructure, bolster teacher salaries, catch every school up on basic technology, invest in mental health care on a scale never seen before, and almost completely eradicate food insecurity among children in school. Hell, that $265 billion could just be put in an endowment, and the draw alone would be life-changing for almost everyone."
2."Politicians and contractors would find a way to funnel a lot of money to their pockets, much in the same way they're doing now with Department of Defense money. It has been known for decades that the DoD is unable to audit trillions of dollars of transactions. If DOGE really wanted the US government to save money, they would have started with military spending."
3."The executives working in education would mysteriously get wealthier while schools wouldn't improve."
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4."The United States spends more money per student than almost any other country in the developed world. More money is not going to solve the problems. How it is spent and what is being taught are the two main issues."
5."Absolutely nothing. We already spend more than anyone. Adding more money will likely do nothing."
6."Very little, if anything, would change. The problem with education isn’t only monetary. There are large swathes of people choosing private or homeschooling because trust in public schools has eroded. More money won't fix that."
7."Will never happen. It's easier to manipulate and segregate people who are uneducated."
8."My wife is a teacher, and my mom is a retired teacher. I know a lot of other people who work in education. My son is currently in college to become a teacher. Money is NOT the primary problem. You could give every teacher and support staff a 25% raise, but it won't fix the problem with students who are undisciplined and don't want to learn, or parents who are uninvolved."
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9."They dumped tons of cash into the Department of Education, and they may as well have burned it."
10."The US has already spent tons of money on education in the past with little results. Ultimately, it's the parents to blame for how their children view the importance of education, and all the money in the world isn’t going to change that."
11."Switching a budget without changing the people would just be a waste of money. Teacher Unions need to focus more on kids than teacher salaries and benefits."
12."Based purely on past history, the nation would become even more illiterate, ignorant, innumerate, socially and politically divided, and insecure."
13."The Department of Education was created in '71. The United States has one of the highest costs per student ratios in the world. We were number one in education in 1970. So, no, more money won't fix this."
14."Well, the Department of Education’s budget has grown significantly since it began operating in 1980...and measurable education values have plummeted ever since. Maybe centralized planning at a national level is bad for education."
15."I'd rather see it dumped into a space program, TBH. Few entities have shown a greater propensity for waste than the Department of Education and the teachers' unions. 'It's FoR tHe ChIlDrEn!' Yeah, right. If you want Exhibit A of what a racket education can be, look no further than at the entities that actually have money — our universities."
16."College tuition would go up and private colleges would donate to political parties at record levels."
17."The pipe is broken; it doesn't matter how much water you try to push through it. Plenty of stats bear this out. Many of the worst districts in the country get the most funding."
18."Parents still wouldn’t read to their kids or take any responsibility in raising them, developing them, or imbuing them with values upon which to make their decisions."
19."It would get squandered and mismanaged, and nothing would change."
20."Money is not the problem. It's culture and incentives. Some cultures in the US do not value education, and most schools don't have an incentive to teach effectively. If we were serious about education, it would be year-round, and we'd have school choice so people could choose better schools, and they would be firing incompetent teachers."
21."It would probably just mean three new mega football stadiums built in the South…"
22."I'd ask: how does that make the kids smarter? Someone would then respond by paying teachers more to better teachers, but the unions won't stand by while districts fire underperforming teachers. If we hire more teachers to reduce class size, it might help, but you still have poor teachers who underperform. Money just doesn’t always correlate to better outcomes, as evidenced by the current spending per student and test scores. So the question stands."
23."A bunch of 'education' corporations would be created to offer overpriced 'services' or 'curriculum' to schools. The friends and family of the school board and admin would get lucrative no-bid contracts. Real estate would be bought. For teachers and students, though? Nothing would fundamentally change. The education system is broken and corrupt throughout its entirety, and throwing money at it will only benefit the charlatans and grifters who already make a ton of money from Education."
What about moving military spending to something else, like education? Do you agree with these takes? Comment below!
Note: Responses have been edited for length/clarity.
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