‘Our troops will go without pay, but not Argentina’s’: Trump prioritizes Argentina over U.S., Milei bailout deemed ‘essential function of government’

If you want a peek into what the near future for the United States might look like, look no further than Argentina. They’ve got their own bafflingly coiffeured Trump analog – Javier Milei – over there, who was launched to power in 2023 on a promise to drain their swamp and fix their economy.

Smash cut to the present, and Argentina is in utter crisis. Milei’s ‘common-sense’ economic policies have resulted in catastrophic recession, soaring poverty rates (over 50%), and mass social unrest.

A sharp sell-off of the Argentine peso sparked capital flight amid fears of another default on $4.8 billion in IMF payments due in 2026. Investor confidence is at zero, and the nation has exhausted much of its borrowing capacity. Great work, Javier!

Fortunately for Milei, Donald Trump has stepped in to grant them a $24 billion bailout of U.S. taxpayer money, with Trump deeming Milei a “kindred spirit” for wrecking the Argentine economy. Trump apparently cares so much about Argentina that the bailout’s structure explicitly shields it from being affected by the government shutdown.

This is how you know that the shutdown is a Republican manufactured crisis. They made sure to write up Argentina’s bailout as though it was an essential function of the U.S. government, insulating it from the shutdown. Our own troops will go without pay, but not Argentina‘s. pic.twitter.com/uovSmowBB6

— Hey, Dave! (@davegreenidge57) September 30, 2025

Argentina First!

As for what this means in practical terms? Well, for one notable example, the current shutdown means active-duty U.S. soldiers are not being paid. This covers 1.4 million service members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard, who are classified as “essential” under federal law and must continue working without pay during a shutdown.

And over in Argentina? Well, Trump’s bailout has ensured they’re still picking up their pay packets like it’s no big deal. Puts a real nice spin on the phrase “America first”, right?

So, if you’re a service member grimly realizing you’re not going to be receiving a paycheque this month and wondering how you’re going to make ends meet, perhaps miserably making some calls to various billing companies to explain the situation, just remember that over in Argentina your equivalent is toasting Senor President Trump while tucking into a juicy fillet steak – and that’s all paid for with your tax money!

Trump may not have made America great again, but at least he seems to be trying his hardest to improve Argentina!