This is terribly misleading.

What we spend on Israel is about in line with what we spend in areas with a lot of potential conflict where we have self-interest. For example, during the Cold War, we spend 10 times that on Europe protecting them from the threat of a potential Soviet invasion that never happened.

"According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the United States spends roughly $36 billion annually on military capabilities in Europe, almost 10 times its annual assistance package to Israel.

Also, the Israelis have been pretty good about handling local conflicts mostly on their own (albeit with our support), without getting US troops killed fighting for them. "No American blood was expended to save Israel when a coalition of Arab armies attacked it in 1948. Indeed, not a single American soldier has ever died defending Israel, something that cannot be said about many of our allies"

Contrast that with the US's commitment to NATO Europe or Taiwan, where, if Russia or China respectfully were to attack, US troops would have to die defending them. We have no similar commitment to Israel, whose soldiers and civilians are routinely attacked and killed.

Also, of that $4 billion (more like $3.8 but whatever), most of that if is given on condition that it be spent buying products and military hardware from the US. So ok, maybe that's some pork to the defense lobby, but it's not like all that money's going to some hole in the ground. It's coming right back to the US where it's supporting a shit ton of jobs.

"Unlike U.S. aid to Israel, most of which is funneled back to the American defense sector, U.S. defense spending toward its forward-operating presence in Europe and Asia is composed of hundreds of thousands of “boots on the ground,” soldiers whose lives would be at stake in any scenario involving an attack on treaty allies. And these allies lie under our nuclear umbrella, meaning that conflicts on either continent could theoretically ensnare the United States in nuclear war."

Israel's population is also about 2% that of the US, making it far smaller than most US states. What works for a small culturally homogeneous monolithic country like Israel won't necessarily work for a massive federalist country like the US.

However, if states want to institute "universal healthcare & government-subsidized colleges & universities", they can. Nothing's legally stopping them. In fact, most do, at least with schools. Virtually every state has government subsidized universities. I should know. I went to one. I paid $30k for a four year degree. A bargain then, and even moreso by modern standards. Some states have tried doing the same with hospitals, with less success. Contrary to the claims of universal healthcare advocates, the current system is liked by the vast majority of people.