Donald Trump proposes historically record budget for US military
Donald Trump, President of the US (photo: Getty Images)
The Trump administration is preparing a record defense funding request. Intense debates are expected in Congress, according to Bloomberg.
US President Donald Trump plans to submit a national security funding request of $1.01 trillion for the 2026 fiscal year, which begins on October 1. According to administration officials familiar with the document, this amount exceeds the 2025 figure by more than 13%.
The budget priorities include strategic projects such as the Iron Dome missile defense system, shipbuilding, nuclear arsenal modernization, border security, and a 3.8% pay raise for military personnel.
The request also includes supplemental funding for the Department of Energy, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and several other agencies, totaling 3.2% of GDP, in line with the 2024 fiscal year. In comparison, the current total national security spending stands at $892.3 billion.
The budget will be officially presented in a "skinny budget" format on Friday, May 2, marking the start of the 2026 budget process in Congress and outlining the administration's key financial priorities.
The Defense Department's funding request alone will amount to $961 billion, significantly exceeding the previously approved level of $848.3 billion in January. The Biden administration had previously forecast a defense budget of $876.8 billion for 2026.
The document also includes a portion of the $150 billion that Congress plans to allocate as additional agreed-upon defense spending, supplementing the already approved discretionary funding package.
The request is expected to provoke controversy in Congress. Legislators have repeatedly criticized the Pentagon for failing to pass a full audit. According to a report by the US Government Accountability Office, instances of fraud totaling at least $10.8 billion were found within the Department of Defense between 2017 and 2024.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth noted on social media that despite the historically high volume of the request, the department intends to spend every taxpayer dollar wisely, on combat readiness and preparedness.
President Trump, for his part, explained the scale of the request by the growing global threats.
"We have to build our military, and we’re very cost-conscious, but the military is something that we have to build," the president said.
Cuts in the Pentagon
The US Department of Defense will soon reduce the number of civilian employees. The cuts could affect 76,000 people out of the total 950,000 personnel within the department.
Immediately after taking office, President Trump ordered the preparation of a plan to reduce the defense budget over the next five years.
Additionally, the US is significantly reducing its military presence in Europe.
