Portland, OR – On April 15, 20 Portlanders gathered at Senator Ron Wyden’s office to denounce the ever-increasing money the U.S. spends on war and genocide. The protest was organized by Portland for Palestine (P4P) and was also attended by members of CodePink.

Ron Wyden has a three-decade long history of voting in favor of sending Israel billions of dollars per year, even after Israel began its heightened genocide in Gaza. Speakers at the rally demanded that he refuse to vote for aid to Israel and budget increases for the Department of War, which is requesting a colossal $1.5 trillion for 2027.

“We could end homelessness permanently for $2.4 billion a year. We send Israel $3.8 billion a year,” said Judas Graves, a member of P4P, “For $35 billion a year, we could have universal pre-K. We have spent $50 billion since March 1 bombing Iran!”

“We are funding a genocide and a pointless, endless war. Not because it makes us safe, but because it makes a few people rich. Spending taxpayer money on war-for-profit has been the American way for a long time. This policy is voted on by both Democrats and Republicans, no matter who is president,” explained Kacey DeSantis of P4P.

After the rally, the crowd marched towards Blumenauer Bridge, chanting slogans such as “Money for homes and education, not for bombs and devastation!” and “No war with Iran!” After making it to the bridge, which crosses over Interstate 84, the crowd put up several banners reading “No tax $ for war” and “No war on Iran,” which received many supportive honks from the cars below.

As the U.S. war on Iran enters its seventh week, the working class is increasingly feeling the economic strain of a war.

#PortlandOR #OR #TaxDay #Iran #AntiWarMovement #AntiWarActionNetwork

Salt Lake City, UT – During the early evening of Wednesday, April 15, dozens of demonstrators gathered at the Federal Building in downtown Salt Lake City, to protest their tax dollars being used to attack Iran, Palestine, Lebanon and Cuba.

After chants of “Not another missile, not another rocket, all these wars are just for profit!” Paris Lamb of the Utah Antiwar Committee told the crowd, “As a student I have seen the efforts of this firsthand as I struggle to afford tuition housing and food. A fraction of the military budget could provide universal tuition and healthcare to every student.”

Carson Bybee of Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “Your tax dollars have killed over 72,000 Palestinians. Your tax dollars killed more than 110 schoolgirls in Iran. Your tax dollars killed over 300 people in minutes, right after the ceasefire kicked in. Let that sink in.” The crowd then went into a revised 60s chant of “Donald Trump, what do you say? how many kids did you kill today?”

A member of Armed Queers said, “Over 100 years later, many of the issues brought up by the world's first socialist revolution haven’t been solved. That is, ‘Peace, Land, and Bread.’”

The responses of pedestrians and motorists passing by were overwhelmingly positive, as honks drowned out the few negative responses that were attempted. Answering a call from the Anti-war Action Network, the rally was sponsored by Utah Anti-War Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and Armed Queers.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #AntiWarMovement #TaxDay #AntiWarActionNetwork

Washington, DC – On the evening of April 15, Tax Day, about 20 protesters gathered outside the IRS headquarters as part of the Anti-War Action Network’s (AWAN) call for a national day of action. Temperatures soared upwards of 90 degrees, but the protesters were undeterred, opening the action with chants of “Money for jobs and education! Not for wars and occupation!” and “Not another missile, not another rocket! All these wars are just for profit!”

“The U.S. government takes not millions, not billions, but trillions of our hard earned tax dollars each year to use on their wars, especially now in Iran” said Katie Sayour of the Anti-War Committee DMV, the emcee for the event, “but we’re out here today to demand our money be used the way we want it to be used – for healthcare, jobs, schools, and for the working people!”

Once everyone rallied together, the group took the streets and began marching to Lafayette Square, just outside the perimeter of the White House. Calls of “Donald Trump, you’re a liar! We demand a real ceasefire!” echoed off the stone walls of the buildings lining the streets. The protesters observed community members on the sidewalks and began to chant “Off of the sidewalks into the streets! We want peace, we want peace!” resulting in several people joining in on the march. Once the protesters reached Lafayette Square, the emcee invited speakers from several organizations.

“We have to kick out the feet of imperialism wherever we go,” said Kristen Bonner, an organizer with the DC Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression (DCAARPR). “We are bonded together by our shared struggle.”

“Our taxes are going to police cars, they’re going to police who spend ten to twelve hours a day terrorizing Black and Brown people in our city,” emphasized Merawi Gerima, organizer with the DC Against the Trump Agenda (DCATA) coalition. “They use it for bombing places like Iran. Do we want our money spent bombing innocent people in another country? No!”

Anti-War Committee DMV will be mobilizing again on Saturday, April 18 in defense of Yousof Aziz, an Iranian anti-war activist who was kidnapped by ICE from his home in Maryland.

#WashingtonDC #DC #AntiWarMovement #Iran #TaxDay #AntiWarActionNetwork #AntiWarCommitteeDMV

Tucson, AZ – On Tax Day, April 15, more than a dozen organizations in Tucson united against Trump’s war on Iran. Organized by the Tucson Anti-War Committee (TAWC), the rally outside the Federal Building downtown drew a crowd of around 80 people and lots of honks in support.

TAWC is part of the Anti-War Action Network (AWAN), which called for a national day of action on Tax Day. Cities participating so far include New York City, Chicago, Minneapolis, Tucson, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Washington D.C., Seattle, Dallas/Fort Worth, Tulsa, New Orleans, Jacksonville and Grand Rapids.

Protesters held signs that read “Stop Trump’s war on Iran!” “Money for human needs, not for war!” and “U.S. out of Iran.” A TAWC organizer led the chants, “No more money for working moms, you spent it all on building bombs!” and “Israel bombs, USA pays, how many kids did you kill today?”

The group first heard from Dr. Mario Acosta, a member of Common Defense, a progressive veteran’s organization, who stated, “People are dying as a result of what is going on. I am a psychologist and I spoke to a patient today who lost his Affordable Care coverage. He has a heart condition, and now he can’t afford his medication. You know what will happen to him? He will probably die because of the cuts to healthcare coverage that are now going to this war. We need to stop this war!”

Arlee Garcia, an organizer with TAWC stated, “At the same time that the government is spending such unfathomable amounts of money on war crimes, we can’t fund our schools. People are living on the streets. Parents skip meals to feed their kids. When we are sick, we have to seriously think about whether we can afford a hospital visit or afford an ambulance in an emergency. So today, while the government demands we pay our taxes while they are spending an average of $2 billion every single day on the war on Iran, it is up to us to seize this moment and work together to build a broad and united anti-war movement.”

Cosponsors of the action were Common Defense, Deflock Tucson, and the Arizona Palestine Solidarity Alliance with endorsing support from Veterans for Peace Local 13, Nuclear Resister, Fluxx, Desert Rising, FRSO Tucson, Tucson Safety Team, RCA Tucson, CPUSA Tucson, and AZ ACTS.

#TusconAZ #AZ #AntiWarMovement #TaxDay #Iran #AntiWarActionNetwork #TAWC

The Anti War Action Network (AWAN) called for a national day of action on Tax Day, April 15, to protest Trump’s costly war on Iran. President Trump has asked Congress to authorize an additional $200 billion for his war on Iran while at the same time cutting funding to scientific research, environmental protection, and various social programs including housing assistance, Medicaid and SNAP.

From the AWAN post on their Instagram @antiwaractionnetwork, “Organize an action in your community for Tax Day – April 15th – to show that we want our tax dollars spent on human needs like education and healthcare instead of bombing schools and destroying hospitals in Iran!”

Rae Minji, an organizer with Seattle Against War (SAW), said, “Mainstream media constantly lies to Americans the extent to which their tax dollars have been used for purposes that have nothing to do with national security and everything to do with the interests of the billionaires. We have a right to have a say in how our taxes are invested, and in order to make that a reality, we need to expose the actors responsible for the constant flow of our taxes dollars to bombs and genocide.”

Minji continued, “In SAW, we are flyering commuters in Washington Congressional District 9, which is the seat of Representative Adam Smith, one of the politicians who has been saying a lot about stopping Trump’s war on Iran, but hasn’t done anything meaningful. And no wonder: he personally benefits from war. His campaign funding almost entirely comes from AIPAC, Palantir, and other war-profiteering companies, and he operates the U.S. Military and Defense PAC. The hypocrisy is laughable.”

Cities participating include New York City, Chicago, Minneapolis, Tucson, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Washington D.C., Seattle, Dallas/Fort Worth, Tulsa, New Orleans, Jacksonville and Grand Rapids.

#AWAN #AntiWarMovement #TaxDay #Iran #NationalDayofAction #Featured