The Take More than $5 trillion in US taxes: Who gets it?
Apr 15, 2026
Lindsay Koshgarian, program director at the National Priorities Project who studies federal budgets and military spending. She breaks down where trillions in U.S. tax dollars go. Conversations cover the balance of military vs. domestic programs, how budget rules shape priorities, rising defense and contractor influence, and shifts in immigration and health funding.
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Average Taxpayer Pays More For War Than Medicaid
- The average U.S. taxpayer paid over $4,000 for war and weapons while paying about $2,500 for Medicaid.
- Lindsay Koshgarian contrasts military discretionary spending with Medicaid to show priorities favoring war over health care.
Interest Payments Rival Military Spending
- Net interest on the U.S. debt costs the average taxpayer over $4,000, similar to war spending.
- Much of that debt traces to past wars like Afghanistan and Iraq, linking military action to long-term fiscal costs.
Budget As A Moral Mirror
- The federal budget reflects moral choices, with recent Trump GOP budgets shifting resources from low-income people to wealthy, corporations, and war.
- Lindsay frames cuts to social programs as intentional policy decisions, not accidental austerity.