Instead of investing in critical infrastructure like education, President Trump is requesting another $95 billion for weapons of war. We must let our representatives in Congress know—no more spending our tax dollars for endless wars. @hannahomestead.bsky.social on @nationalpriorities.bsky.social

Leases on more than a fifth of the 222,000 acres of Hawaiian land occupied by the US military are set to expire. What could Hawaiʻi look like if the military didn’t occupy so much land? Watch our new video to learn more 👇

While people across the U.S. deal with an affordability crisis, one element has contributed uniquely to housing costs in Hawai’i—the presence of the U.S. military, which caused rents to increase by an estimated 7.1% in 2024 alone. @ocampomar.bsky.social on @inequality.org

Read the research by @hannahomestead.bsky.social at @nationalpriorities.bsky.social and @jekavanagh.bsky.social at @defpriorities.bsky.social. costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/papers/boats...

NEW: Hawaiʻi is central to the Trump administration’s planned military buildup against China. A groundbreaking new report shows what the military presence in Hawaiʻi actually costs. Join this eye-opening report launch on Monday, June 1 at @busboysandpoets.bsky.social:

NEW: The U.S. military's presence in Hawaiʻi has been touted as a boon for the local economy. But our new report reveals a slew of hidden costs behind the overstated benefits—including environmental harms that disproportionately affect native Hawaiians.

NEW: The Iran War has cost Americans nearly $50 billion at the gas pump. "The economic damage from this conflict is already done." @jeffcolgan.bsky.social of @watsonschoolbrown.bsky.social:

We worked with @nilc.org to see where the proposed funding of $71.6 BILLION for mass deportations could go: healthcare for millions of people including veterans, food assistance, and education. Families deserve more. Not one more dollar for ICE and CBP!

Last month, nearly 60 countries sent representatives to Santa Marta, Colombia for the first-ever global diplomatic conference on ending fossil fuels. Join this unique reportback tomorrow from IPS, @uscannetwork.bsky.social, @fossiltreaty.bsky.social, @ienearth.bsky.social, and @mnipl.bsky.social:

Why does Trump want the biggest war budget in U.S. history? David Vine (author of The United States of War) breaks down Trump’s push for a $1.5–$1.7 trillion Pentagon budget and how endless war spending fuels inflation, expands conflict, and diverts youtube.com/shorts/M7rk2...

For over 75 years, the U.S. has relied on air strikes as an alternative to politically costly ground occupations. But history shows that this doctrine has not lived up to its promise—with civilians often bearing the highest cost. @christineahn.bsky.social on @truthout.org

Rising cost of living. An unstable job market. Growing economic uncertainty among many Americans. These aren’t just domestic policy failures—they’re symptoms of a government more concerned with projecting its military power abroad than the welfare of its own citizens.

NEW: Trump bombing Iran is part of 75+ years of the U.S. using airstrikes as a primary tool of foreign policy. It has failed. "Force does not topple governments. It consolidates them." IPS fellow @christineahn.bsky.social in @truthout.org:

NEW: A new report out today offers the most comprehensive accounting ever produced of what the U.S. military presence in Hawaiʻi actually costs. As 65-year leases with the U.S. military expire in 2028-2029, communities in Hawaiʻi have a real chance to reclaim that land:

In addition to being a totally ineffective “solution” to immigration, Trump’s border wall would be devastating to many border communities. That’s why a non-partisan group of activists in Texas’s Big Bend region are standing up to oppose it. @jimhightower.com

NEW: If you paid taxes for 2025, you likely paid $40 for ICE — whose abuses most Americans disapprove of — vs. just $16 for energy efficiency & renewables. Real security is climate resilience. Invest in our future. Not in ICE.

This April, representatives from countries around the world met in Santa Marta, Colombia to discuss phasing out fossil fuels—a vision that reveals how behind the curve the U.S. really is when it comes to climate policy. IPS climate expert Basav Sen on @inthesetimes.com

For the past 9 months, the U.S. military has continued to carry out extrajudicial strikes, claiming the lives of at least 193 people total. Legal and human rights experts agree — the U.S. must take accountability and end these strikes immediately.

Are we OK with this?

#OTD in 1967, Dr. King delivered his "Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam" sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. It could have just as easily been delivered today.

Defund any present and future dollars for ICE and Border Patrol NOW.

The first-ever global diplomatic conference to phase out fossil fuels is happening right now in Santa Marta, Colombia! Feleecia Guillen and Alliyah Lusuegro at @ips-dc.org write about the importance of confronting the war machine in that space: fpif.org/the-world-is...

From August 2025 to March 2026, this administration's attack on Venezuela cost at least $4.7 BILLION. The costs are mounting still. Read more in this new report by @costsofwar.bsky.social with researchers at @ips-dc.org @defpriorities.bsky.social: ips-dc.org/what-did-the...

BREAKING: Since August 2025, the U.S. has spent at least $4.7 billion on operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, including the operation to oust Maduro. [THREAD, 1/11]

The $1 trillion Pentagon budget is not the jobs program that politicians say it is. New research from @transitionsec.bsky.social shows defense employment has plummeted even as spending has swelled: climatecommunityinstitute.substack.com/p/war-is-a-b...

Wondering where your 2025 tax dollars are going? IPS policy experts Lindsay Koshgarian and @hannahomestead.bsky.social break down some of those numbers—including why the average American taxpayer paid over $4,000 this year for weapons and war.

NEW: A joint report from IPS and Brown University’s Costs of War project reveals the cost of President Trump’s attack on Venezuela—a staggering $4.7 billion—a number that could continue to rise as long as U.S. forces remain deployed to the region.

While the upcoming Santa Marta conference is a positive step towards phasing out fossil fuels, any effort towards global transition must confront one of the main drivers of fossil fuel consumption—militarism. Alliyah Lusuegro and Feleecia Guillen on FPIF:

While mining in New Mexico may seem like a local issue, the priorities fueling this extraction are a global problem. As the Santa Marta conference gets underway, we must put justice and care for communities everywhere over militarism and profit. IPS's Feleecia Guillen on @sourcenm.com:

#OnTheAir COUNTERPOINT airs Mondays 8-9:30pmET wpkn.org 89.5FM Bgpt #CT: Lindsay Koshgarian of @nationalpriorities.bsky.social on Tax Day 2026: Taxpayers Are Paying More than $4k for War; Steve Ellner retired prof on "US Imperialism Enters a New Stage," w Trump targeting Iran, Venezuela & Cuba.

A new report by Hanna Homestead at @nationalpriorities.bsky.social & Jennifer Kavanagh at @defpriorities.bsky.social notes that classifying cartels as terrorist organizations paved the way for expanding U.S. forces in the U.S. Southern Command area. [2/10] costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/papers/boats...

NEW: Findings out today show that between August 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026, U.S. strikes in Venezuela, the Caribbean, and the Eastern Pacific cost at least $4.7 billion. IPS scholar @hannahomestead.bsky.social and @jekavanagh.bsky.social of @defpriorities.bsky.social with @costsofwar.bsky.social:

Imagine if we invested in childcare and health care like we do in war and weapons.

NEW: Many U.S. households spent hundreds more tax dollars on the military last year, new IPS findings show. Trump's warmongering is costing Americans "both in terms of the opportunity cost for other programs and the drain on our wallets.” @annabetts.bsky.social in @us.theguardian.com:

The only winners from brutal, illegal wars are the wealthy.

The average American taxpayer contributed over $4,000 (!!) for war and weapons in 2025.

In 2025, according to the Institute for Policy Studies, the average American taxpayer paid $4,049 for weapons and war. Feels good, huh?

NEW: a joint report between IPS and @theologypolicy.bsky.social reveals how Trump and the GOP’s budget policies are sacrificing our health and safety to further enrich the ultra-wealthy.

Instead of endless war & handouts to billionaires, our tax dollars could fund everything for all of us—we're laying out how with @debtcollective.bsky.social, @nationalpriorities.bsky.social & @cplusc.bsky.social 🌹 RSVP! -> actionnetwork.org/events/tax-d...

If you paid taxes for 2025, you likely paid: $124 — school lunch & nutrition programs $49 — diplomacy to prevent wars $19 — USPS $19 — Federal Aviation Administration $18 — national parks and $4,049 — weapons and war. These priorities are hurting us all. We need change. #TaxDay

The federal government took $4,049 from the average taxpayer to fund war and weapons in 2025. When you compare that to what went toward programs that actually help us… the gap gets hard to ignore: 🧵

This tax season, @nationalpriorities.bsky.social’ experts Lindsay Koshgarian and Hanna Homestead analyze where your dollars are going—and what they could fund if not for this administration’s choice to prioritize weapons and war over the health and safety of Americans.

NEW: The theme of Trump's budget priorities is clear and consistent: Taking from the poor to enrich the wealthy and inflict violence. As he put it: "The U.S. can’t take care of daycare… We’re fighting wars." A new summation from IPS @nationalpriorities.bsky.social scholar @lindsaykosh.bsky.social:

While many in the U.S. are struggling to pay bills, the average taxpayer paid over $4,000 for weapons and war last year, notes @nationalpriorities.bsky.social. www.nationalpriorities.org/analysis/202...

NEW: If you paid federal taxes for 2025, you likely paid $4,049(!) for Pentagon contractors, military personnel, nuclear weapons, aid to foreign militaries, and last year’s bombing of Iran’s nuclear energy facilities. IPS @nationalpriorities.bsky.social research out now in @commondreams.org:

NEW: @nationalpriorities.bsky.social policy analysts Lindsay Koshgarian and @hannahomestead.bsky.social break down where your 2025 tax dollars went—including over $4,000 per person on average towards weapons and war, thanks to Trump and the GOP’s budget bill.

📣 “Instead of spending even more of our hard-earned dollars on war and mass deportation, we deserve a massive reinvestment in making this country a place where we can all survive and thrive.” @nationalpriorities.bsky.social