National Priorities Project
@nationalpriorities.bsky.social
We track federal spending & revenue for the benefit of all Americans 💸😅💸. Nominated for 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. We repost interesting stuff. 🕊
By drawing the connection between militarism and domestic issues like structural inequality, progressive Democrats have a chance to reform the party’s disappointing performance on foreign policy. Jiachen Shi on @fpif.bsky.social
Progressives Can Save Democrats’ Foreign Policy - FPIF
Such a policy would put the needs of ordinary Americans before bloated Pentagon budgets and forever wars.
fpif.org
EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT: Join us at NYC next week to discuss the costs of U.S. imperialism around the world and what it would look like to invest in people and the planet instead of endless war. Register here: bit.ly/warclimate26
NEW: The lesson of 9/11 should be that war is not the answer to any of the problems facing the U.S. Widespread public opposition to Trump’s war on Iran suggests that most Americans have finally learned that lesson. It's time for lawmakers to catch up.
25 Years of War Was the Exact Wrong Response to 9/11 | Common Dreams
Stop throwing money at a broken, destructive war machine. Stop threatening and blockading our neighbors. Close overseas bases and bring our troops home. Tax the wealthy and start rebuilding our…
commondreams.org
#OTD 25 years ago, Rep. Barbara Lee cast the sole vote against rushing to war in the days after 9/11. Although she endured terrible backlash, Rep. Lee was backed every step by broad, anti-war grassroots movements. This is what principled leadership looks like.
The climate crisis cannot be separated from war, militarism, and imperial extraction. Join organizers from across the globe expose the climate & environmental costs of US imperialism – and what it would look like to invest in people & the planet instead of endless war. RSVP: bit.ly/warclimate26
NEW: While major companies lobbied for the corporate tax cuts in the Big Beautiful Bill, they've been silent on the bill cutting billions from Medicaid and SNAP — programs on which thousands of their workers rely. @martyschladen.bsky.social in @ohiocapitaljournal.com:
As gap between CEO and worker pay yawns, employers do little to defend the most vulnerable • Ohio Capital Journal
A new report states finds that as the gap between low-income workers and CEOs explodes, CEOs are not interested in protecting the social safety net.
ohiocapitaljournal.com
Despite the push from tech companies and politicians, people across the U.S. are pushing back with three quarters of Americans now opposing data centers. The choice is clear—it's time for a national moratorium on data centers. @ruwithsonali.bsky.social
The Fight Against Data Centers Is Bringing Americans Together - OtherWords
Whether rural or urban, red or blue, more communities are pushing for a pause on these facilities that threaten our air, water, jobs, and electric bills.
otherwords.org
Millions of people have gone hungry since last year. Meanwhile, we have no end in sight for the National Guard deployments in our streets. We need to reprioritize.
Participants in restorative justice — a community-based approach to addressing harm — report higher rates of satisfaction than with the criminal legal system, and reductions in PTSD and negative emotions. Students need accountability and support. Not handcuffs.
Kids Need Accountability and Support, Not Handcuffs - OtherWords
As students head back to school, more districts should consider disciplinary policies built around restorative justice, not retribution.
otherwords.org
Between government cuts to assistance programs and aggressive ICE actions, low-wage workers have had multiple threats to contend with this year. Meanwhile, many corporations have continued to pay low wages while their executives reap the benefits from massive tax cuts.
The recent cyberattacks perpetrated by OpenAI’s “rouge” AI agents should serve as an alarm bell, warning us of the potential of such an event involving autonomous weapons if we fail to adequately regulate their usage. Rebecca Gordon on @fpif.bsky.social:
It’s Time to Rein in Lethal AI Drones - FPIF
Humans need to act, as AI agents scheme in the digital shadows.
fpif.org
Join frontline organizers, climate justice advocates, anti-war activists, and movement leaders from across the globe for a conversation about the climate and environmental costs of U.S. imperialism – and what it would look like to invest in people and the planet instead of endless war.
Military contractors are using stock buybacks to artificially inflate the value of their CEOs' stock-based pay. Senators from both sides of the aisle are pushing a bipartisan proposal to ban this practice.
Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. Alex Pretti. Renee Good. These are just a few of the more than 50 people killed by ICE agents since President Trump took office last year. We cannot allow ourselves to let these deaths to become routine. Sofia Leyba on OtherWords:
We’re Getting Dangerously Used to ICE Abuse - OtherWords
No matter where you were born or how you feel about immigration, no government should have the power to kill or jail people with so little accountability.
otherwords.org
It's back-to-school season, and many teachers fund classroom items out of their own pockets. We need U.S. taxpayer dollars to support our education system, not an expensive ballroom project.
How much does war contribute to the climate crisis? Nobody knows, because there is no comprehensive accounting, writes Costs of War co-founder Neta Crawford in @thebulletin.org. thebulletin.org/2026/08/miss...
Mission impossible? Quantifying military emissions
Military and wartime emissions are difficult to track—but too important to ignore.
thebulletin.org
The U.S. military has killed at least 223 people in 67 strikes in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific since last year, reports the New York Times, citing our research on the costs of these operations: $4.7 billion and counting. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/24/u...
U.S. Military Kills 2 People in Attack on Boat in Pacific
The United States has killed at least 223 people since its campaign of boat strikes began nearly a year ago.
nytimes.com
NEW: Trump's mass deportation push is costing U.S. taxpayers $2,358 each(!), new research from @epi.org and @nationalpriorities.bsky.social found this month. "I don't think people realize how much money is being spent on these mass deportations."
Trump deportations cost taxpayers $2,358 each
The projected $268.9 billion could otherwise fund major safety-net programs.
axios.com
At a time when the rising cost of housing, healthcare, and food has left nearly half of Americans struggling to afford basic necessities, our federal government is instituting one the largest rollbacks of our social safety net.
SNAP has been a lifeline for more than 40 million Americans. But already, the Big Beautiful Bill has seen 10% of recipients lose access during an affordability crisis. Societies thrive when people are fed. Don't cut SNAP, strengthen it.
Counterpoint: Congress Shrinks SNAP Safety Net When Families Need It Most - NH Journal
New Hampshire - Counterpoint: Congress Shrinks SNAP Safety Net When Families Need It Most - NH Journal - Politics
nhjournal.com
NEW: U.S.-South Korea military exercises are wildly costly and dangerous. Progressives should take the chance to oppose them — even when Trump is the one to suggest it. IPS scholar @christineahn.bsky.social in @truthout.org:
Trump Moves to Scale Back US War Drills in Korea. We Should Support That.
While any diplomatic overture from Trump should be viewed with skepticism, we should welcome a chance to advance peace.
truthout.org
That is a mind boggling number. And all to terrorize our communities.
Institute for Policy Studies@ips-dc.org · last mo.NEW: Trump's mass deportation push is costing U.S. taxpayers $2,358 each(!), new research from @epi.org and @nationalpriorities.bsky.social found this month. "I don't think people realize how much money is being spent on these mass deportations."
The Trump administration’s request for $54.6 billion in funding for autonomous weapons—a 24,000% increase from the previous year—sets a dangerous precedent at a time when many Americans are struggling to afford necessities. Wallace Fellow Anavi Khanna on @nationalpriorities.bsky.social
$54 Billion for Killer Robots? A Look Into DAWG
Trump wants $54.6 billion for autonomous weapons systems. Congress should work to defeat this spending proposal, end the war on Iran, and slow the march toward robotic warfare.
nationalpriorities.org
"We're spending an unbelievable amount of money, chasing down, detaining, deporting people. It costs money that is desperately needed for other things in almost every community in the country."
Trump deportations cost taxpayers $2,358 each
The projected $268.9 billion could otherwise fund major safety-net programs.
axios.com
Trump's deportation and detention agenda is slated to cost $268.9 billion(!) during his second term. Instead, that could fund: - SNAP for 118 million people - Medicaid for nearly 12 million, or - Low-cost housing for 9.7 million households. End mass deportation. Fund people.
Fund care, not cruelty. @ips-dc.org @popdemoc.bsky.social @popdemocaction.bsky.social @epi.org just released this new calculator showing us where hundreds of billions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer money are going (family separation) vs. where they could go (education, healthcare, housing, etc.).
A new tool from @epi.org, developed in partnership with researchers from IPS and other progressive organizations, reveals how Trump’s mass deportation push could end up costing the average American taxpayer around $2,358. (via @axios.com)
Trump deportations cost taxpayers $2,358 each
The projected $268.9 billion could otherwise fund major safety-net programs.
axios.com
"America’s Voice analyzed 12 months of federal price data ending in June and found costs are rising fastest for foods whose production relies heavily on immigrant labor." via @cnbc.com
Trump's deportation agenda raised prices, contracted local economies, immigration group says
A report released Wednesday by the immigration advocacy group America's Voice argues President Trump's immigration policy is hurting the economy.
cnbc.com
NEW: In the 1990s, Congress passed a law requiring federal agencies to pass an audit. Since then, every major federal agency has done so, except the Pentagon. Now, that audit-failing agency wants $1.5 trillion. Listen to IPS scholar @lindsaykosh.bsky.social on @wbur.org:
Does the U.S. need a $1.5 trillion defense budget?
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is asking Congress for a record amount of money, $1.5 trillion, as the U.S.-Israel war with Iran continues. What do those taxpayer dollars pay for?
wbur.org
Congress is considering a provision that would dramatically expand military cooperation between the U.S. and Israel — even as U.S. public opinion is turning sharply against military support for Israel. Listen to Americans. End U.S. support for Israel's crimes.
Israeli Forces Have Killed US Citizens. Congress Wants to Deepen Military Ties.
Section 219, a measure to integrate parts of the Israeli and US militaries, could provide more cover for Israeli crimes.
truthout.org