Brace yourselves well for a massive and harsh financial bump looming on the near horizon! $61 billion is the estimated value of the terrifying deficit projected in the 2026 federal budget, primarily caused by the dangerous "roulette" game played by
fluctuating global energy prices. How will the state machinery handle this massive fiscal black hole? The Iraqi parliament, in a candid and detailed chat with Tajdeed News Agency, revealed a plan known as "smart austerity." The core idea is to
attempt to stop the immediate financial bleeding by cutting and freezing funds for non-essential investment projects, because there is a social red line that no government can cross: public sector salaries and social welfare networks. It's a true and fierce
balancing act between dreams of investment and construction on one hand, and securing daily bread for citizens on the other.
