US President Donald Trump on Friday asked lawmakers to approve a massive $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027, as the United States faces rising costs from its war with Iran and mounting global security commitments.
The proposal would lift Pentagon spending by more than 40 percent in a single year — the sharpest increase since World War II — as Washington seeks to sustain military operations and rebuild depleted weapons stockpiles.
The request highlights the growing financial pressure of a conflict now in its fifth week, and sets up a political battle in Congress over how to fund a dramatic expansion of military spending.
US media — citing closed-door congressional briefings — have reported that the Iran war could be costing as much as $2 billion a day, underscoring the scale of the burden even before longer-term reconstruction and resupply costs are factored in.
To offset part of the increase, Trump is proposing around $73 billion in cuts to non-defense spending — roughly 10 percent — “reducing or eliminating woke, weaponized and wasteful programs, and by returning state and local responsibilities to their respective governments.”
The president has framed the defense budget increase in urgent terms, arguing that military investment must take precedence during wartime, even at the expense of federal social programs.
“It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare,” Trump said at a recent private event, adding that such responsibilities could be handled at the state level while Washington focuses on “military protection.”
Democrats swiftly attacked the proposal, with the party’s Senate budget leader Patty Murray warning it prioritized military spending over Americans’ needs and accusing Trump of pursuing “reckless foreign wars.”
“Donald Trump might be happy to spend more money on bombs in the Middle East than on families here in America — but I am not,” Murray said in a statement.
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