Recent news of the disclosure of war plans on the Signal app has unleashed a flurry of commentary on U.S. war planning. The text chat disclosed specific operational details of the U.S. plans against the Houthi militia two hours before airstrikes were conducted. Over 2 dozen of the major planners of war were involved in the text message named ‘Houthi small group chat’ and included the Director of National Intelligence, the Defense Secretary and Vice President J.D. Vance and inadventantly Jeffery Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic.
In Mr. Goldberg’s article The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans that detailed how he was privy to being on the thread that was actively planning for the US to bomb Yemen. At first he did not think the message was real until a couple of hours later when he learned of the bombings on Yemen that killed over 53 people. The text messages included “operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing.”
At the Senate hearing on the Annual Threat Assessment which provides an unclassified summary of the Intelligence Community’s evaluation of current threats to the US the discussion hinged on what is considered ‘classified’ information in light of what some have named the ‘Signalgate‘ affair. After many in the Trump Administration dismissed the seriousness of the breaches of security, Mr. Goldberg published another article Here are the Attack Plans That Trump Advisors Shared on Signal with screenshots he had taken of the chat. What was not discussed at the Annual Threat Assessment was the climate crisis as a national security threat after it was omitted; was listed as an item not to talk about after being a high concern for over 11 years. While climate change was eliminated from the list, Fentanyl was included for the first time.
Another revelation from the signal chat was the approach of some in the Trump Administration and their feelings towards Europe. What had been previously shaky ground between the US and Europe became more so when Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated “I fully share your loathing of the European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC.” That seems a little bit inflamatory for coalition building when Europe hosts many US nuclear bombs at risk to it’s populations and with foreign relations.
While it is easy to get caught up in the details of the most recent news of war and bombings we should keep our focus on what we know. Over half of our federal income taxes go towards war and close to half of that goes towards private military contractors. The War Resisters League has been publishing a pie chart of Where Your Income Tax Really Goes for decades to break down US military spending. You can find the most recent pie chart for fiscal year 2026 here. For those who subscribe to More Than A Paycheck, the NWTRCC newsletter, that goes out 6 times a year look for it in our upcoming newsletter and for those who are interested in subscribing to the print version for $25 a year sign up here.
NWTRCC is hosting an introduction to war tax resistance (WTR 101) Thursday March 27th which may be one of the last online sessions prior to Tax Day on April 15th. The workshop is being hosted by the World Fellowship Conference in conjunction with New Hampshire Peace Action. You can register for the training here. Over the last 18 months NWTRCC has been hosting 101 sessions nationally and with local groups. You can find recordings on NWTRCC’s YouTube channel here.
The War Resisters League (WRL) has just published an updated version of War Tax Resistance: A Guide to Withholding Your Support From the Military. For months, Ruth Benn and Ed Hedemann leaders in WRL and NWTRCC, have been updating the content of the book that comes out just before tax season in the US. You can order the book at our store here. As stated on the WRL site “The most comprehensive book available on war tax resistance, covering everything from legal issues to the history of war tax resistance, to the hows and whys.” The comprehensive handbook has assisted numerous war tax refusers since it was first published by the WRL in 1981.
Tax Day in the US as well as NWTRCC’s May Conference (which you can register for here) falls within the Global Days of Action Against Military Spending from April 10th through May 9th this year. It is not too late to let us know about your Tax Day Plans! Fill out the form here and access information about planning an action at the Quick Tips: Tax Day 2025 found here. In these challenging times it seems all the more important to gather with others who share values of what enhancing life on this planet means in our limited time here. Our hope is that you are finding others around you to speak out about the issues important to you!
Post by Chrissy Kirchhoefer
Thank you, Krissy–covering several important threads for us!
I’d like to add one more: David Hartsough just died 3/22 at home, his wife and 2 adult children by his side. After a number of years living well with cancer, his body took a sudden turn and he was filled with pain. Fortunately, he passed fairly quickly after that. David was a long-time war tax resister and life-long peace activist, including most recently co-founding World Beyond War. His memoir, Waging Peace, is in NWTRCC’s store, a worthwhile read for sure. I appreciated knowing him, sensing his warmth, sincerity, and gentle strength. and will miss running into him at demonstrations and gatherings. I’ll leave it to others, however, to find obits and tributes online.
Sara,
Thank you for sharing. I had not heard of David’s passing. What a loss but what a gift to witness and share in a life well lived!