Gabe Murphy

NEWS: Pentagon officials have made detailed preparations for deploying U.S. ground forces into Iran, multiple sources told @CBSNews. @ellee_watson @JimLaPorta and me cbsnews.com/news/trump-adm…

Boebert: I am so tired of spending money elsewhere. I am tired of the industrial war complex getting all of our hard earned tax dollars. I have folks in Colorado who can't afford to live. We need America first policies right now.

As we mark the 23rd anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, we remember the costs: thousands of servicemember lives, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives, and trillions of taxpayer dollars. As a new war with Iran escalates, we hope that history will not repeat itself.

The Pentagon is cooking up some creative strategies to open the Strait of Hormuz

Congress gave the Pentagon an 18% funding boost in FY26 appropriations, including a $152 billion slush fund. Congress should reject supplemental funding for the unauthorized war with Iran. taxpayer.net/national-secur…

Congressional war powers are on death's door. Now, when wars begin, Congress is left reacting after the fact. That’s not what the Constitution envisions. The power of the purse can help Congress reclaim its war authority. taxpayer.net/national-secur…

EXCLUSIVE: Trump’s War on Iran Could Cost Trillions “My kids’ kids, and probably their kids, are going to be paying for this,” said one official briefed on the U.S war on Iran. theintercept.com/2026/03/17/tru…

Three weeks of war on Iran will cost taxpayers tens of billions, at least. Long-term costs could be far higher. As @GabeRMurphy told @TheIntercept, "Taxpayers deserve answers on the precise costs & timeline for this war. ‘Indefinitely’ isn’t an answer." theintercept.com/2026/03/17/tru…

When presidents initiate conflicts w/out authorization, using the War Powers Act to reverse course can require a 2/3 majority to override a veto. The power of the purse is easier to wield. Congress should use it. taxpayer.net/national-secur…

NEW: DoD briefed a Senate Appropriations Committee panel last week that the Iran war’s first six days cost $11.3 billion. But that’s about all they shared. That and another number: $9.6 billion of the total was for replacing expended munitions. No additional info has been given on what went into the estimate, despite “repeated” requests from the panel. Armed Services members, meanwhile, had not been briefed as of late last week.

The Constitution grants Congress the power to declare war. It also gives Congress the power of the purse, including power over the Pentagon’s checkbook. Now, Congress should leverage these powers to rein in the war against Iran. taxpayer.net/national-secur…

Congress gave the Pentagon over a trillion dollars in the last budget and a 150 billion topper from the Big Beautiful Bill. If I'm going to consider additional funding, they’re going to need to open up the hood and tell me why the ample amount of money the Pentagon has isn’t enough.

President Trump is informed that a U.S. military investigation has concluded that American forces struck a girls’ school in Iran, killing scores of children. Trump: "I don't know about it."

Hegseth spent $7 million of taxpayer money on lobster tail just before millions of Americans lost SNAP benefits

In response to Hegseth’s cuts to civilian harm protection programs last year, @SenWarren & @maziehirono tried last July to amend the NDAA to require commanders in the the Middle East & elsewhere to have "civilian harm mitigation and response officers" on staff. The amendment was defeated 13-14 in a party line vote.

“Some of these [program] increases are offset by cuts within the Pentagon budget, and some of those cuts of course have consequences for national security... Lawmakers often aren't grappling with the tradeoffs that they're making by proposing these increases.” @GabeRMurphy responsiblestatecraft.org/backdoor-earma…

In @RStatecraft today, @StavroulaPabst reports on backdoor earmarks in the Pentagon budget, featuring our data & report. We’re calling for transparency. responsiblestatecraft.org/backdoor-earma…

Our Quote of the Week for the week of March 9 comes from House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole. Our Quote of the Week is released with our Weekly Wastebasket newsletter. Sign up to receive our Wastebasket here: taxpayer.net/wastebasket/

DEBTrimental: This week’s total federal debt clock:

🚨 Rep. @RoKhanna calls out Democrats trying to have it both ways on Iran: opposing the war publicly while still considering voting to fund it. “It is totally disingenuous… to say you're against the war but vote for the funding.”