President Donald Trump is asking Congress to approve a $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027, the largest in U.S. history, while cutting domestic programs to help pay for it.
The proposal boosts military spending by roughly 42% to 44% and reduces non-defense spending by about 10%, cutting billions from housing, health care, and other domestic programs. The White House says the increase is tied to current conflicts, including the war in Iran, and would fund troop pay raises, shipbuilding, and missile defense systems.
Trump has been direct about the tradeoffs behind that approach, tying federal spending to what he sees as core responsibilities.
“We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of day care,” Trump said at a White House event. “It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare.”
The administration says it is cutting what it calls “woke” and wasteful programs across multiple agencies, and those reductions stretch across a wide range of domestic priorities. The budget cuts low-income housing, heating assistance, refugee resettlement, and grants tied to renewable energy and public health, while scaling back or eliminating other programs that have received federal support in recent years.
At the same time, the plan increases funding for immigration enforcement, law enforcement, and aviation safety, while also directing money toward National Guard mobilizations in Washington, D.C., and other security-related efforts. The proposal also includes cuts to refugee resettlement, unaccompanied migrant children programs, and several public health accounts, reflecting a broader shift away from federal social spending.
Republicans backing the proposal point to rising threats from China, Russia, Iran, and other adversaries as justification for the increase, arguing that the U.S. must invest more heavily in military readiness.
“America is facing the most dangerous global environment since World War II,” said Sen. Roger Wicker and Rep. Mike Rogers.
Budget Director Russell Vought said Trump promised to reinvest in national security and ensure the country is protected “in a dangerous world,” while critics argue the cuts would fall hardest on programs tied to daily life, including housing, energy, and health care.
Congress will ultimately decide what survives, and lawmakers are expected to rewrite significant portions of the proposal as they negotiate spending bills in the months ahead. The debate is unfolding as the federal government continues to run large deficits and carry a national debt that has climbed past $39 trillion, adding pressure to decisions on both defense and domestic spending.
Congress can rewrite the details, but not the reality: fund the military at this level or keep the rest of the government intact.
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