Demolition of the White House East Wing continues as part of President Trump’s ballroom project, which he originally described as privately funded at roughly $200 million, and which he has said could involve more than $1 billion in total costs, raising questions about who ultimately pays. | AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Taxpayers Aren’t Wallets: It’s Time to Fight Back Against Unaccountable Spending
By Gina Hill | Alaska Headline Living | May 19, 2026
Americans are being forced to fund decisions they never voted on, never agreed to, and were actively lied about. That’s not democracy. That’s stealing. The government is taking your money without your consent.
The Trump administration is pushing to use taxpayer dollars to pay people convicted by juries for January 6 crimes. Let’s be clear: those convictions came from juries, not the Biden administration. But the real problem here isn’t the past. It’s right now. Taxpayers are being told to foot the bill for a government that treats their money like its personal checkbook.
Then-Rep. Markwayne Mullin took cover beneath House seating as rioters breached the Capitol on January 6. During the attack, members of Congress and staff were urgently communicating with leadership and the White House as the situation spiraled out of control, while lawmakers inside the chamber scrambled to coordinate evacuation and defense of the floor. Today, as Secretary of Homeland Security, he oversees the department that includes ICE and federal immigration enforcement, bringing questions of crisis response, authority, and accountability full circle.
Then there’s the ballroom. Trump said it would be paid for by private donations. That was a lie. Now taxpayers are being asked to cover costs for a project built on a false promise.
And while families are strangled by sky-high fuel prices, the administration is pushing forward with a war in Iran that Trump never asked the public, or Congress, for permission to start. No clear congressional approval. No public debate. Just escalation. And your money paying for it.
This isn’t about left or right. It’s about consent.
You don’t get to decide how your tax dollars are spent under the current administration. But you have more power than you think.
Here’s How to Push Back, Legally, Forcefully, and Effectively:
- Call your members of Congress. Daily. They control federal spending. Call, email, and show up at town halls demanding they block specific expenditures. Name them: no payments to convicted January 6 defendants, no public funding for privately promised projects, no unauthorized war spending.
- Write protest messages on your tax check. Don’t refuse to pay. Pay, but make your protest visible. Write “No funding for unauthorized war” or “No taxpayer funds for lies” in the memo line. Send a copy to your representative.
- File FOIA requests and demand transparency. Force the government to show where money is going. Support watchdog journalism that follows the money and publishes it clearly.
- Organize with neighbors. Form local coalitions around specific spending items. Get evidence, propose better alternatives, and deliver a unified message to legislators.
- Write letters to the editor and op-eds. Especially during tax season. Make this a public issue that can’t be ignored.
- Vote in primaries. Alaska’s primary is August 18, 2026. That’s where real accountability happens. Support candidates who demand War Powers Act compliance and fiscal restraint.
- Support lawsuits against executive overreach. Back organizations that challenge unauthorized spending in court.
- Push for state-level resolutions. Demand your state legislature pass resolutions opposing federal misuse of funds and demanding congressional oversight.
- Use Tax Day as mobilization day. Host peaceful protests, hand out flyers, and organize community talks that explain the spending and demand action.
- Build organized people power. Small groups working together can turn a local issue into a statewide or national movement when they coordinate and stay focused.
You’re not powerless. But power doesn’t come from rage alone. It comes from action.
The government is counting on you to be passive. Don’t give them that satisfaction. Use every legal tool available. Demand transparency. Force accountability. Hold leaders accountable at the ballot box.
If taxpayers are expected to fund the government, they have every right to expect honesty about where that money goes, and a meaningful voice in the decisions behind it.
Accountability isn’t automatic. It’s enforced by The People.
