The Trump administration on Friday asked lawmakers to boost defense spending by 42% while cutting all other spending by 10% for fiscal year 2027.
The request will face strong headwinds on Capitol Hill, where appropriators rejected a similar ask last year. Democrats have already panned it as “morally bankrupt,” while Republicans will be especially wary of redirecting cash to the military as the war in Iran raises prices ahead of elections.
The White House is suggesting enacting $350 billion of the $1.5 trillion defense spending via the reconciliation process, which requires support from almost all GOP members. Proposed cuts elsewhere would affect the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund; the Internal Revenue Service; a pair of housing programs; and the Minority Business Development Agency.
Deficit hawks meanwhile slammed the decision to exclude debt projections, which the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget called “astonishing.”