The White House on Friday, April 3, 2036, asked Congress for $1.5 trillion in defense spending for the fiscal 2027 budget. (Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — With the U.S. at war with Iran, the White House on Friday asked Congress for $1.5 trillion in defense spending for the fiscal year 2027 budget.
If enacted, the amount would be the highest military spending level in modern history.
The 2027 budget outline, released by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, says Trump’s proposal would reduce nondefense spending by $73 billion, or 10%, by shifting some responsibilities to state and local governments.
Trump urged Congress to approve the budget that includes more than $1.1 trillion in base discretionary funding, as well as $350 billion in reconciliation funds. The president also asked lawmakers to increase federal funding to aid with border enforcement and mass deportations.
The proposed budget does not address reports that the Pentagon asked the White House for $200 billion in additional funds for the war with Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed on March 19 that the Pentagon asked for funds but did not disclose the amount.
“It takes money to kill bad guys,” Hegseth said during a media briefing at the Pentagon. “So we’re going back to Congress and our folks there to ensure that we’re properly funded for what’s been done, for what we may have to do in the future.”
The White House budget funds a pay raise of 7% for all military personnel ranked E-5 and below; 6% for E-6 to O-3; and 5% for O-4 and above, according to the document.
“This enduring investment, far above the standard annual military pay raise, builds on the president’s recruiting and retention success, by doubling down on the Administration’s goal to restore America’s fighting force, the document says.
Leading up to the White House’s release of the budget, the president and aides framed the increase as a need to spend more to restock munitions and supplies as the war with Iran enters its second month.
Trump at an Easter lunch on Wednesday told those at the private event that military spending needed to be a national priority.
“We’re fighting wars. It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare, all of these individual things,” Trump said. “They can do it on a state basis.”
The president’s budget release comes as the House and Senate remain tangled over current-year spending and stalemated over Department of Homeland Security funding.
Trump announced Thursday he would sign an executive order to pay all DHS workers who have gone without paychecks during the record-long partial government shutdown that has reached 49 days. Congress still has to figure out a way to fund DHS operations for workers at an array of agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Coast Guard.
The Republican leadership in Congress reached an agreement this week on a path forward to fund the department, but lawmakers are away on recess and have not yet voted on any new legislation.
