Inside Trump’s military-heavy, $2.2 trillion budget proposal

Out with the “woke” and in with the weaponry: President Trump asked Congress to approve a $2.2 trillion budget for fiscal 2027 that would boost military spending to $1.5 trillion while slashing funding for domestic federal programs across housing, education, small business, and other areas deemed “woke, weaponized, and wasteful,” the White House said yesterday.

Note: This is just a proposal, as only Congress can set the annual budget. Last time around, lawmakers gave the military a fiscal boost, but largely rebuffed Trump’s efforts to cut domestic spending. It’s more like a gauge of the White House’s priorities than a prophecy.

The $1.5 trillion defense budget…would be 42% more than the Pentagon’s current allotment. That represents the biggest single-year increase in military spending since World War II. The funds are meant to cover more munitions and ships, higher servicemember salaries, and a missile defense system inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome.

Trump is also seeking:

• An increase of $28.5 billion for immigration enforcement.
• $10 billion for beautification projects in Washington, DC.
• $150 million to rebuild Alcatraz as a working prison.

Meanwhile, on the chopping block…

Trump’s proposal would cut nonmilitary programs by 10% ($73 billion) to ~$660 billion.

Hardest hit: Funding would decrease by 67% for the Small Business Administration and by 52% for the EPA. The proposed budget would also downsize FEMA and…

• Redirect $15 billion in renewable energy and clean air initiatives to fossil fuels and AI supercomputers.
• Slash Education Department programs for minority-focused institutions (e.g., HBCUs).
• Decrease Department of Health and Human Services spending by 12.5% and eliminate NIH divisions that research transgender health and racial health disparities.
• Cut NASA funding by 23%.

“We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of daycare,” Trump said at a private White House event this week. “It’s not possible for us to take care of daycare, Medicaid, Medicare—all these individual things,” he said. “They can do it on a state basis.”

Big picture: Fiscal watchdogs say Trump’s proposed military budget could tack trillions onto the $39 trillion federal debt, despite his insistence otherwise.—ML