Trump Proposes Record Military Budget, Funded by Cuts to Health and Housing Programs

President Donald Trump sent Congress a proposed budget Friday that asks for $1.5 trillion in defense spending for 2027, a roughly 40% increase over what the Pentagon received this year.

Trump cited the need to restock munitions and other military supplies amid the ongoing war with Iran as justification for the record request.

To pay for it, the administration is proposing $73 billion in cuts to agencies that manage climate, housing, and education programs. Trump also suggested at a private lunch that increases to military spending could come at the expense of Medicare and Medicaid, though no formal cuts to those programs have been announced.