National Priorities Project
The National Priorities Project works to ensure that our federal resources prioritize peace, shared prosperity, and economic prosperity for all.
The United States federal budget is a powerful resource, accounting for about a fifth of the U.S. economy. We can harness that power to make our lives better, to create a more just and humane society, to end poverty, address the climate crisis, and enhance security and quality of life. On the other hand, that power can be used to perpetuate destructive cycles of war, militarism, violence and oppression that go back to our nation’s founding and before.
NPP’s research sheds light on the militarization of the federal budget and on critical opportunities for reinvestment. NPP’s regular reports include an annual tax receipt, an interactive budget priorities calculator, and analyses of the president’s budget and annual appropriations.
Latest Work
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Reports
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Peace & Foreign Policy, Racial & Gender Justice
How Much Will Trump’s Mass Deportation Effort Cost Taxpayers?
Congress and federal agencies have already committed a total of $268.9 billion for immigration enforcement through 2029.
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Climate Justice, Economic Justice, Leadership Programs, Peace & Foreign Policy, Racial & Gender Justice
BLUEPRINT: Forging a Democracy that Works for All
Countering the power of billionaires, corporations, and the Pentagon
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Peace & Foreign Policy
What Did the U.S. Attack on Venezuela Cost?
The full operation cost at least $4.7 billion — a figure that may continue to rise.
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Economic Justice, Peace & Foreign Policy
Tax Day 2026: The Average Taxpayer Paid $4,049 for War and Weapons
Wars don't just cost taxpayers at the pump. Here's what the average taxpayer spent for different priorities in 2025.
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Economic Justice, Peace & Foreign Policy
Trump’s Budget Policies Make the Poor Poorer to Pay for War and Help the Rich
The theme of this administration's budget priorities: taking from the poor to enrich the wealthy and inflict violence at home and abroad.
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Peace & Foreign Policy
The IPS Iran Reader
A one-stop guide to IPS work on the crisis in Iran and the wider Middle East. Updated periodically.
National Priorities Project in the news
National Priorities Project Research on National Guard Deployment Costs Featured in Common Dreams
IPS Analysis of National Guard Costs During Chicago's Immigration Enforcement Surge Cited in Latin Times
IPS National Priorities Project Data on Deportation Costs Featured in Newsweek
Costs of Trump's War with Iran
Warren Slams Trump for Iran War Costing ‘American Taxpayers $11,500 Per Second’
Killing Kids in Iran While Kids in the U.S. Go Hungry
Help IPS turn progressive policy ideas into action
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