The difference is that defense is an unnecessarily expense. There is no credible military threat to the United States in the world right now. We would be just a

The difference is that defense is an unnecessarily expense. There is no credible military threat to the United States in the world right now. We would be just as safe if we stopped maintaining such a gigantic standing army and stopped interfering in overseas conflicts. In contrast, spending for healthcare, education, and welfare measurably makes Americans' lives better. Cutting funding for these programs looks attractive for those who don't use them anyway (the rich), but would ultimately widen the class divide and be harmful to the country.