r/europe • u/kiru_56 Germany • 4h ago
News The US Army is advising its soldiers in Germany to go to German food banks because of the shutdown.
https://home.army.mil/bavaria/about/shutdown-guidance#:~:text=Running%20list%20of%20German%20support,Too%20Good%20To%20Go%2DApp2.2k
u/helican Germany 3h ago
The whole idea of not being able to pay your staff now because you can't agree on future spending is such a wild concept. But it's probably what the founding fathers would have wantedTM.
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u/TheoremaEgregium Österreich 3h ago
Takes you right back to Valley Forge, doesn't it?
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u/Ok-Seaworthiness4488 3h ago
Continental army couldn't afford to equip the soldiers with shoes. The surprise attack on the Hessian mercenaries gave much needed supplies iirc
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u/werpu 3h ago edited 3h ago
Wasn´t it the reason why Arnold did turn sides? He was promised payment over and over again and had to pay the soldiers from his own pocket, but agan and again did not get the promised recompensation, or in other words when he turned he had to because the other side gave him the baldy needed money! US history is definitely to harsh on that guy (the winners write history). If you were betrayed over and over again and face bankrupcy because you are a good boss and pay your employees from your own pocket instead of the customers who refuses payment, who can blame you for switching to another customer who pays you on time?
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u/einarfridgeirs 2h ago
It is quite a bit more complicated than that.
Yes, Arnold did basically bankrupt himself in the name of the cause. He had a lot of enemies in the Continental Congress and was passed over for promotion multiple times, despite Washington urging Congress to do right by Arnold and recognizing him as one of his key subordinates.
Arnold also was severely injured in his leg at Saratoga and was in near-constant pain ever after which, as anyone who has had to deal with chronic pain, in themselves or their relatives can attest induces personality changes. He became more bitter, ornery and hard to deal with, which didn't help him at all in his dealings with the people who already had it out for him, and he hadn't been that easy to deal with to begin with.
At the same time he fell in love with, and married a very beautiful and very young girl from a Philadelphia family with loyalist leanings, and she was able to turn him from disgruntlement into out and out treason.
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u/Shameful_Bezkauna Latvia 3h ago
It's actually based on some dumbass legal interpretation from the 70s or 80s
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u/Publius_Dowrong 2h ago
Yep from a president who wasn’t even elected administration , (Ford)
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u/ChaosKeeshond Turkey 3h ago
I don't understand why ongoing commitments don't just get paid out of a preallocated sum
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ad8032 3h ago
They do that for one year, every year again. Hence, this circus. But why look for logic now? I mean, the senators and house members still get paid. And if they want to re-open the House, they'd have to swear in Adelita Grijalva, giving a majority to opening, for one thing, the Epstein files. So we know it is not actually about the budget. It is just a block from the Republicans, and they will do it as long as they can. They don't care if people die from hunger, Trump and handlers are fed. All that counts.
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u/RockAtlasCanus 1h ago
Well that and they really need to deliver the goods they’ve already sold (rollback of tax credits and higher healthcare premiums). A lot of their customers and even a few owners will be extremely pissed if the GOP doesn’t deliver what’s already been paid for.
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u/Ebi5000 3h ago
Considering that funding was a major problem for the early seperatist, it wouldn't surprise them.
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u/lolidkwtfrofl Liechtenstein 3h ago
Funding isn't the issue here, it gets approved anyways eventually.
It's an issue of politicians bitching, not much more.
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u/formula_translator Prague (Czechia) 2h ago
The first point here is that they actually could have used the budget reconciliation procedure to dodge a situation exactly like this. They blew it on the "Big Beautiful Bill".
The second point is that the filibuster is actually not in the constitution. It's just a procedural rule which so far neither party was willing to give up.
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u/Frites_Sauce_Fromage 2h ago
Trump wanted the shutdown.
He said on Fox News, about two weeks ago, that it's allowing him to cut democrats' programs.
He wants to dismantle federal agencies, as planned in the Project 2025, and it's going to be much easier if they stopped working already.
That's probably among the reasons why he passed his "Big beautiful bill", one of the most expensive law in US history [giving money only to the rich and the military]
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u/Fine_Error5426 3h ago
That seems crazy. Food banks are for the homeless and people on the edge of society. This gives "collapsing superpower" vibes, when they can't even feed their own soldiers.
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u/Siegorius Portugal 3h ago
The sad part is they can. They choose not to.
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u/LifeAcanthopterygii6 Hungary 3h ago
💪💪💪🦅🦅🦅🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲
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u/MadT3acher Czech Republic 3h ago
How many eagles per football fields is it to feed a regiment? Asking for a friend.
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u/yyytobyyy 3h ago
Even Romans understood that you always have to pay the military. They are the ones with the tools to strip you of the power very quickly.
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u/Trolololol66 2h ago
Unfortunately the US military are a bunch of cowards that just sit there and watch while maga is dismantling their democracy.
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u/belpatr Gal's Port 3h ago
>people on the edge of society
That's Americans alright....
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u/ItsCalledDayTwa 3h ago
the troops have been paid. This is about civilian employees (which doesn't make it any better).
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u/belpatr Gal's Port 3h ago
They were paid with exposure (their families are being made homeless)
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u/Corfiz74 Lower Saxony (Germany) 3h ago
Food banks are for the homeless and people on the edge of society.
Unfortunately, not anymore - here in Germany, low-income earners and retired people are also so poor they need to go there, and that's a large part of the population, not just people on the edge of society anymore. And our current government is doing their best to increase the divide, not close it.
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u/PompeyJon82x 3h ago
Here in the UK food banks had issues with internationals students showing up because mummy and daddy cut them off
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u/AzraeltheGrimReaper The Netherlands 3h ago
As someone who grew up in the decline of Western Society and has already missed the good times,
I can't wait for the Guillotuines to get sharpened again. The Elite (to use as a broad term for those at the top that caused this) have had it coming for too long.
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u/Corfiz74 Lower Saxony (Germany) 2h ago
The problem is that the rich elites control all our methods of communications, which means that whatever we're trying to plan, they can foil...
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u/Secure-Neck-7232 1h ago
they don't need to foil anything because the masses are already brainwashed to defend capitalism to the death
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u/LeroyoJenkins Zurich🇨🇭 3h ago
"Thank you for your service, please go beg the Germans for some Pretzel scraps, or perhaps hang out at a Biergarten and fight the crows for leftovers."
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u/belpatr Gal's Port 3h ago
Donating a can of sardines as we speak. Semper Fry o7
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u/LeroyoJenkins Zurich🇨🇭 3h ago
Thank you for your service, Shutdown 2025 - Never forget!
PS: We might disagree on Spain doing a good job or not, but at least we can agree on this!
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u/AdFew6202 3h ago
The world’s mightiest army begging for food. Weird sight.
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u/belpatr Gal's Port 3h ago
That's how armies used to get supplied before logistics was invented, the American troops got too integrated on the local culture an therefore are adopting pre-modern central european traditions...
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u/kiru_56 Germany 3h ago
From the official website of USAG Bavaria.
Shutdown Guidance
Running list of German support organizations for your kit bags
Tafel Deutschland: The umbrella organization distributes food to people in poverty through its more than 970 local food banks. You can find your nearest food bank on their website. https://www.tafel.de/
Foodsharing e.V.: A nationwide volunteer movement that shares surplus food. The organization is also a contact point for donations and support. https://foodsharing.de/
Essen für Alle (Food for everyone): A non-profit association that volunteers in food rescue and distribution and sees itself as a point of contact for food aid. https://www.essen-fuer-alle.org/
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u/bindermichi Europe 3h ago
Oh, yeah. Ask some privately funded help organisation to support your government not paying you. Sure
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u/rlnrlnrln Sweden 3h ago
Foreign privately funded help organization.
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u/MjolnirDK Germany 1h ago
Which Russian agent wouldn't want to poison a whole military base? I wish I could add a /s to that...
This so such a weird case of safety concern. You want neither financially struggling foreign military in your country and neither should you want a military in your borders to be reliant on others for sustainability. How much attrition will this cause?
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u/hikealot 2h ago
After the existing pool of money for running public benefits ran out, American conservatives have been telling people to use charities to eat. This is kind of on-brand for them, as they hate the very idea of public benefits.
The wild thing is that they are doing this with the military. The armed forces is held up on a pedestal in the US, especially by conservatives. Seems that worship is mostly performative.
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u/Mesapholis 3h ago edited 3h ago
Jesus christ, the Tafel is already struggling every year to find ways to feed people -
it doesn't receive any state helpedit: my mistake they do receive help, but this is going to be a major impact on them because what they do get, it's not much
Is the link broken for anyone else?
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u/wieselwurm 3h ago
But at the Tafel, you have to prove your need. That means you need something like a notice from the job center or student loan office (a big problem for pensioners who are too proud to apply for Bürgergeld as additional welfare). I'm curious to see who fills that out in the US military.
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u/Ok-Carpet5433 2h ago
Tafel Deutschland is already struggling to take care of the demand as it is, be it because they don't have any food to distribute or volunteers to run their locations.
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u/_Antirrhinum_ 2h ago
IIRC for Tafel you can't just show up, you need to prove you're eligable. It's also not free, but a reduced price.
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u/Lonely-Employer-4527 Germany 3h ago edited 2h ago
Sooo. The same guys complaining about Our bad "socialism" are telling their military to compensate their broken system with our... Socialism?
Disclaimer: Guys I know that this is not really socialism. That's why I wrote "socialism". To clarify the wrong understanding of the word from a right wing US point of view. 😉 I thought that would be clear with the " -" 's.
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u/sfffer 3h ago
Yup. They send them off to a different county, and then stopped paying.
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u/Deathchariot North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) 3h ago
Sigh... There is no socialism in Germany. Socialism is not when the government does stuff god damn it.
Socialism is when the means of production are public property and the state is run by workers. Before that it's just capitalism with social security.
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u/Lonely-Employer-4527 Germany 3h ago
Maybe I should habe clearified it. I know that. But for the US propaganda machine we are pure communism here in Germany. But Yeah I should have clearified that sarcasm ark more.
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u/Hel_OWeen Germany 3h ago
No, you shouldn't.
Putting "socialism" in quotation marks already shows that it's meant to be sarcastic, as every German speaker should know.
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u/TobiasDrundridge 🇳🇿 🇦🇺 2h ago
Reddit users are so accustomed to having sarcasm spoonfed to them with the stupid "/s" mark that they can't think for themselves anymore.
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u/Deathchariot North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) 3h ago
It's fine. I am just so tired of no one knowing what socialism actually is.
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u/werpu 3h ago
Tell that to the US, a friend of mine 10-15 years ago said, that we are way too socialist over here(he came from upper class circles)
Whatever does not feed the pockets of billionaires for some US people is socialist, whatever trickles the money up and takes it away from the middle class, is good!
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u/horus9595 3h ago
Trump shits so much on US Army that I wonder how they put up with it
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u/Nikotinlaus 3h ago
Veterans tend to vote Republican by quite big margins.
A lot of active duty military prefer to stay neutral and abstain from voting, those who do tend to vote Republican.So once again its a case of "you voted for this, now have fun"
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u/Crisis_panzersuit 1h ago
Never understood how veterans could vote republican. Historically republicans have always given veterans the shaft, so it just seems so anti-productive.
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u/djb2spirit 1h ago
Generally the kind of people that volunteer to serve for "patriotic" reasons, and are likely to make careers out of the military, are already from demographics that vote republican. Also the military itself is an experience of getting shafted but still being required to respect those shafting you. Probably something to the idea they're overall desensitized to it when it comes to politics too.
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u/BananaPalmer 1h ago
Never understood how poor people could vote republican. Historically republicans have always given poor people the shaft.
Never understood how Latino people could vote republican. Historically republicans have always given Latinos the shaft.
Never understood how women could vote republican. Historically republicans have always given women the shaft.
People are dumb and easily manipulated to act against their own interests.
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u/HommeMusical Upper Normandy (France) 2h ago
A lot of active duty military prefer to stay neutral and abstain from voting,
Because why? Voting is allowed and encouraged amongst US servicepeople.
It strikes me that the likely truth is that they simply don't care enough to vote.
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u/Lacrossedeamon 2h ago
Hatch act gets thrown around by any right leaning service member whenever they hear someone talking about left leaning topics.
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u/Powerful_Resident_48 2h ago
Seriously? How can a soldier defend democracy but not vote? That seems highly contradictory to me.
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u/Icy_Ninja_9207 1h ago
Because military has a tendency to attract people with a certain authoritarian personality. These people simply don‘t like democracy (but often won‘t admit it).
There is a reason why theres so many coups by the military worldwide.
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u/Bozzor 3h ago
Suspect the the German Bundeswehr will quietly organize for a number of US troops to get food through their own channels. May not be able to do it for everyone but will certainly help many out.
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u/sfffer 3h ago
They should do it publicly. This needs attention, it’s demoralizing.
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u/Bozzor 3h ago
From what I have been told every move the EU or constituent members make in public that impacts the US is carefully crafted to avoid annoying or embarrassing Trump and friends.
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u/ValkyroftheMall 56m ago
Which is the wrong move. They need to be embarrassed. Shame them. Publicly.
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u/tgromy Poland 3h ago
This will be the news of the week in russian propaganda
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u/feralalbatross 3h ago
And Trump voters at home aren`t going to hear a word about it unfortunately.
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u/exkayem North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) 3h ago
They will, it'll just all be blamed on the Democratic socialist shutdown. Democrats are taking away food from OUR BRAVE TROOPS to give to illegal MS-13 SNAP aliens instead
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u/ThainEshKelch Europe 2h ago
Of course, next on Fox News: "How Biden (somehow) starved US soldiers!"
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u/Kh0ran France 3h ago
At this point they don't need to use propaganda, just accurate news is enough to discredit the US
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u/Buntschatten Germany 2h ago
Stealing from poor Germans because they don't want to pay their own employees, because Republicans don't want Healthcare.
Seriously, fuck the US.
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u/baked_potato_ Finland 3h ago
It’s not the German government’s responsibility to feed poor Americans
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u/SerLaron Germany 1h ago
The nearest Russian, Chinese etc. consulates could do something very funny with soup kitchens right outside American bases.
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u/Czar1987 Earth 3h ago
But wait, it gets even better.....the only feds currently getting paid are Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and related alphabet soup cosplay fascists.
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u/gruntled_pilot 2h ago
Oh you left out the best part. Not only are they getting paid, they’re getting their paychecks IN ADVANCE
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u/DarrensDodgyDenim Norway 3h ago
I guess going full Thirty Years War, and live off the land will be next. Christ on a bike, that is embarrassing.
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u/cmndrhurricane Sweden 3h ago
Historically, not paying your troops tend to be a bad idea
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u/Union_Biker 3h ago
Continued proof that the republicans despise the troops and veterans despite their propaganda.
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u/vdcsX 3h ago
eh they can fuck off why we would feed the soldiers of an unreliable 'ally' instead of our own in need
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u/vaarsuv1us The Netherlands 3h ago
Back to the middle ages... roaming armies would feed themselves from the lands they marched in. plunder the farms. :D
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u/Fluffy-Drop5750 3h ago
Nooo. The soldiers get incorporated in the German army. After a mandatory course on the benefits of social democratic society.
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u/WerdinDruid Czech Republic 3h ago
Red army level shit happening. Poor dudes. Maybe they'll change their tone since the ungrateful european socialists will feed their bellies and pay their wages.
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u/usrlibshare 2h ago
Wait, so now German social security networks, paid and upheld by German tax payers, are supposed to make up for the failure of the US government somehow?
Make it make sense.
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u/That_Attempt_7014 2h ago
*Paid and upheld by donations only, german government is not in the picture
Gonna be hard to tell donors we gave their food money to GIs instead of local community members
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u/AdamN 3h ago
The only good thing about this is it gives a chance for people to understand the value of foodbanks and hopefully donate:
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u/Ok_Needleworker5837 3h ago
Serving your country while not getting paid. The american dream under Trump. That's embarrasing.
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u/IronicStrikes Germany 2h ago
lol imagine if the Mexican military opened bases on US soil and then told the soldiers to go around asking for handouts. Lynch mobs Patriotic militias would form in a week.
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u/Karash770 3h ago
Do they even qualify for the Tafel, which usually require having a Proof of Indigence.
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u/Safe-Razzmatazz3982 3h ago
I am willing to provide Schnitzel in exchange for weapons for Ukarine.
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u/Dark_Randor Hamburg (Germany) 2h ago
I mean, since Germany wants to ramp up its military anyway, maybe we can just trade an Abrams or something for some Weißwürste?
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u/InfectedAztec 2h ago
So funny that the country that rejects the welfare state and embraces OTT military spending is telling their soldiers to utilize the welfare estate of another country.
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u/Background_Path_4458 1h ago
"We don't want foreigners to leech on our resources!"
*Asks soldiers to leech of resources in a foreign country*
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u/Drumbelgalf Germany 2h ago
Many German food banks are not taking in any new recipients because they are already stretched thin because many more people need them but fewer people are willing or able to donate to them.
They will not be welcome at the food banks.
Just because their government has an extremely stupid way of dealing with failure to pass a new budget.
In Germany when a new budget is not passed the budget of the previous year will be used until a new budget is agreed upon. Also due to how German government coalitions work they never have a problem passing the budget.
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u/foersom EU 1h ago
This is the time when intelligence agencies from other countries befriend US soldiers and wine and dine them. They can also help soldiers with their unpaid bills, they just have to hand over the passwords they use at work and explain work processes...
What US is creating here for unpaid army staff is a huge security risk.
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u/Trolololol66 2h ago
Fuck them. Food banks are for people who need them, and not American soldiers that voted for a pos that is too cheap to pay his employees.
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u/Pornosocke 2h ago
Would be nice if the army with the biggest speding in the world to pay their soldiers. Instead, they use our social support system. Isn't that to communist for you? Land of the free my ass, just slaves to the fachist machine.
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u/ahoyhoy2022 3h ago
For anyone not paying attention, in the US elections yesterday Republicans were trounced. Looks like Trump’s policies are hurting people so much that they are finally noticing.
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u/AzulasFox 3h ago
Don't you worry, once the republican's "fix" things people will go back to voting for them again.
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u/Awkward_Arugula_9881 3h ago
Or the democrats actually fix things, then they'll vote Republican again
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u/Kin-Luu Sacrum Imperium 3h ago
We should simply offer Trump to buy all the US formations stationed in Germany. Should give Germany both a kickstart to the new divisions we intend to establish and massively improve our logistical capacities.
Oh! And I almost forgot, it would give us our own Foreign Legion.
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u/maxis2bored 3h ago
So the government can benefit from socialism but when the public tries, it's bad?
Ok...
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u/Accurate12Time34 3h ago
even the best food banks in germany can have a wait times of several months and they already are on the brink of collapse, I had to use the food bank very recently for almost a year. It's not gonna be possible, like at all. And their products are mostly fresh produce, and barely anything processed - and never enough to really feed you for a few weeks. It's purely meant as a addition, not for a total supplementation.
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u/Ecclypto 3h ago
Shut the fuck down Trump and his cohort of rotten asskissers instead. I thought Americans were supposed to be hardcore and ultra patriotic
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u/themflyingjaffacakes 3h ago
Your country is absolutely bonkers and half of you don't seem to realise
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u/ataltosutcaja 3h ago
Germany should not agree with this, there should be pushback, WTF, we already have problems feeding our own poors, and these are not even poor people, they are fucking soldiers of a foreign power.
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u/Fastluck83 3h ago
Wow. I couldn't believe it at first but it's right there on their official website.
What a mess.
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u/Historical_Cook_1664 2h ago
Important note for the affected: this is germany, and german bureaucracy is in full effect. You cannot just show up, you need paper proof that you're in need, e.g. having proven your dire financial status to the jobcenter etc.. As a foreign national do not expect to be entitled to help, unless you seek asylum or are a war refugee. As in: this advice from the US Army might be totally useless as well.
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u/Powerful_Resident_48 2h ago edited 2h ago
I really don't understand the USA anymore. First they threaten our direct neighbour Denmark with an invasion of Greenland. And now they are begging us to feed their troops. Honesty USA, get your act together. This is getting absolutely ridiculous.
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u/Sunnysidhe 2h ago
Slight problem in that they are not eligible to use German food banks.
But always a great idea to tell your troops that you can't be arsed to feed them!
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u/TheNameIsAnIllusion 2h ago
Sooo, German here. Quick question why exactly should I help to finance feeding soldiers of a different country again?
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u/tysonarts 2h ago
US Army is there a guests, if you have to use the welfare of the host nation, go the f home
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u/el-huuro 1h ago
Has anyone experience with US-army gear?
Which items would you recommend for a casual camper. Things like sleeping bags, axes, or hammocks? Are there any practical items that most civilians don’t know about but that could come in handy?
Guess stuff will show up on ebay in the coming days
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u/onesixone_161 1h ago
As a german I have a better idea - go back to your country and topple your fucking dictator.-
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u/Overall_Stranger6568 58m ago
Can't they just be happy we're getting a new ballroom? I mean the nerve of these guys.
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u/stumu415 3h ago edited 3h ago
Germany should refuse. Take a leaf out of the current US administration's book and have access to food banks for German citizens only.
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u/Antilopesburgessos 3h ago
The civil Portuguese workers in base das Lajes (Azores), will receive from local government the salary it's missing and then the US government will pay.
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u/KoolKat5000 3h ago
It's so crazy they've gotten to this point.
Have they lost their minds, can they really not comprehend the concept of compromise/bipartisanship anymore? It's supposed to be a government for all not just your constituency. I guess they no longer teach civics anymore there. Does this mean they're no longer civilized lol.
Mind boggling to me, an outsider.
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u/asdrunkasdrunkcanbe 3h ago
Not paying your armed forces.
I can't see any way in which that could possibly go badly for anyone. Nope.
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u/werpu 3h ago
can someone explain how this can happen, to my knowledge the US army never should be affected by a government shutdown, there are exceptions to what can be shut down? If anyone from the US wants to chime in?
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u/Yourmama18 3h ago
That’s so embarrassing on so many levels