President Donald Trump unveiled a proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027 on Friday, marking one of the largest military spending requests in decades and underscoring his focus on strengthening U.S. armed forces.
The major increase in Pentagon funding had been signaled even before the U.S.-led war with Iran began. At the same time, the proposal calls for a 10% reduction in non-defense spending, with certain responsibilities shifted to state and local governments.
“President Trump promised to reinvest in America’s national security infrastructure, to make sure our nation is safe in a dangerous world,” wrote Budget Director Russell Vought.
The president’s budget blueprint reflects policy priorities but does not carry legal authority. While it outlines the administration’s goals, Congress ultimately controls federal spending decisions and frequently modifies or rejects such proposals.
The White House plan is meant to serve as a guide for lawmakers as they craft appropriations bills to fund the government. Vought discussed the proposal with House Republicans during a private call on Thursday.
Ahead of a national address on the Iran war, Trump emphasized that military readiness remains his top concern, setting the stage for a likely clash with lawmakers over spending priorities.
“We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of day care,” Trump said at a private White House event Wednesday.
“It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare — all these individual things,” he said. “They can do it on a state basis. You can’t do it on a federal.”
The proposal includes a series of key funding initiatives and cuts.
Among them, the administration seeks to bolster immigration enforcement by eliminating refugee resettlement funding, maintaining current levels for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and expanding detention capacity using prior increases in Department of Homeland Security funding, including space for 100,000 adults and 30,000 families.
The plan also calls for a 13% funding boost for the Department of Justice to target violent crime and what the administration describes as migrant-related offenses.
Another provision includes a $10 billion allocation within the National Park Service for “construction and beautification” projects in Washington, D.C.
The budget would increase funding for aviation safety by $481 million to support hiring more air traffic controllers.
It also proposes canceling more than $15 billion in funding from a previous bipartisan infrastructure law, including money for renewable energy programs, and reducing support for environmental justice initiatives and climate-related grants through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The plan includes a 19% cut to the Department of Agriculture, reductions to certain university grants, a 13% decrease for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and roughly a 12% cut to the Department of Health and Human Services, including reductions to programs that assist low-income households with heating costs.
The White House framed many of the cuts as targeting programs that direct federal resources to low-income communities.
For instance, the proposal would eliminate Community Services Block Grants, which fund programs such as job training, financial counseling, and housing assistance. The administration said these funds have been “hijacked by radicals” to promote equity initiatives and green energy policies.
The plan also seeks to cut $106 million from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which it claims has “pushed radical gender ideology onto children.”
Republican leaders in Congress praised the proposed increase in military spending, arguing it is necessary to maintain U.S. global military superiority amid rising threats.
“America is facing the most dangerous global environment since World War II,” said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala.
Democrats, however, sharply criticized the proposal, warning that it prioritizes defense while slashing essential domestic programs.
“This budget represents ‘America Last,’” Boyle said.
The proposal comes as the federal government continues to run annual deficits approaching $2 trillion, with total national debt exceeding $39 trillion.
Roughly two-thirds of the government’s estimated $7 trillion annual spending goes toward entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, which continue to grow due to demographic trends.
The remaining portion of the budget is typically divided between defense and domestic programs, each receiving close to $1 trillion, making them the central battleground in congressional budget debates.
Trump’s broader fiscal agenda has also been shaped by last year’s major tax and spending package, which included at least $150 billion for defense over several years and $170 billion for immigration enforcement efforts through the Department of Homeland Security.
The administration is relying on Republican majorities in Congress to advance its spending priorities, particularly defense funding, as it did previously.
The proposal outlines that $1.1 trillion of defense spending would go through the standard appropriations process, requiring bipartisan support, while $350 billion would be passed through budget reconciliation, allowing Republicans to approve it with a simple majority.
The release of the budget comes as lawmakers remain deadlocked over current funding levels and Department of Homeland Security appropriations, with Democrats pushing for changes to immigration enforcement policies that Republicans oppose.
Amid the ongoing stalemate, Trump announced Thursday that he would sign an executive order to ensure that Department of Homeland Security employees who have gone unpaid during the prolonged partial government shutdown—now in its 49th day—receive their salaries.
In his first budget after returning to office last year, Trump sought sweeping reductions in federal spending, aligned with efforts led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to shrink the size of government.
However, despite aiming for a significant reduction in non-defense spending, Congress ultimately kept those expenditures largely unchanged.
Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, strongly criticized the latest proposal.
“Trump wants to build a ballroom—I want to build more affordable housing, and only one of us sits on the Appropriations Committee,” Murray said.