‘The Last Straw’: Donald Trump’s High War Budget Triggers Nationwide Tax Revolt

President Donald Trump’s second presidential term has faced considerable scrutiny from the American public for various reasons, with critics raising concerns over issues like foreign policy, rising fuel prices and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, among others.

Now, some Americans are refusing to pay federal taxes in protest of the Trump administration's high military spending, particularly regarding the ongoing conflict in Iran.

With taxes due on April 15, 2026, some citizens are withholding payments to protest defense spending. However, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has warned of severe legal and financial consequences for failing to pay federal taxes.

On March 2, 2026, attorney Rachel Cohen shared a post on her Instagram account announcing that she would not pay her federal income tax.

She joked that the video was not legal advice and questioned whether she should pay over $8,800 in federal taxes and about $3,000 in state income taxes.

Cohen clarified that her decision is a “political stance.” The attorney stated that she was tired of watching people go to ICE detention centers and the fact that a large part of tax revenue is funding defense.

She concluded the video by expressing strong opposition to the federal government, saying, “[expletive] the feds.”

Cohen shared a similar opinion on Substack, writing that the federal government is run by people who are “more than happy to publicly demonstrate their racism.”

The attorney claimed that immigrants are being sent to detention centers and deported without due process.

She blamed the government for losing track of detained individuals and for using the military budget to wage what she claimed are illegal wars in different regions.

Cohen wrote, “Once I laid things out like that, it became clear the real question wasn’t whether I should pay my federal taxes,” adding, “It was instead whether I would pay my federal taxes, knowing full well that I believe giving money to the federal government right now is morally wrong.”

According to Brown University’s research, nearly half of the United States' discretionary budget is allocated to defense, which includes the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

In early 2026, Trump ordered military action in Venezuela, targeting the then Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The president also announced launched joint military strikes against Iran, alongside Israel, on February 28.

Some reports suggest that Trump's next target might be Cuba.

Referring to the increasing number of people joining the tax revolt, Lincoln Rice, a coordinator at the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee, said, “With every new action of the Trump administration... they’ll say, ‘This is the last straw,” reports Huffpost.

While conscientious objection to military service is legal, choosing not to pay federal taxes on the same grounds is not.

Referring to the same, Rice explains, “When they do that, they can take up to the entire amount of the account, up until the amount of the tax due.”

For instance, peace activist Randy Kehler had once refused to pay his federal taxes for several years to protest military spending. In response, the IRS seized his house in 1989, according to The New York Times.

Furthermore, the official IRS website includes a section warning individuals who deliberately do not pay their taxes.

“Like moths to a flame, some people find themselves irresistibly drawn to the tax protester movement’s illusory claim that there is no legal requirement to pay federal income tax. And, like moths, these people sometimes get burned,” the website states.

Additionally, the IRS charges interest on the outstanding balance every month a taxpayer does not pay.

If the overdue penalty crosses $66,000, individuals cannot renew their passports. The penalty for failing to file is significantly worse than failing to pay.