White House seeks $1.5 trillion defense budget as Iran war drives costs

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US President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 26, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP)

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US President Donald Trump on Friday asked lawmakers to approve a massive $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027, as the United States faces rising costs from its war with Iran and mounting global security commitments.

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The proposal would lift Pentagon spending by more than 40 percent in a single year — the sharpest increase since World War II — as Washington seeks to sustain military operations and rebuild depleted weapons stockpiles.

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The request highlights the growing financial pressure of a conflict now in its fifth week, and sets up a political battle in Congress over how to fund a dramatic expansion of military spending.

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US media — citing closed-door congressional briefings — have reported that the Iran war could be costing as much as $2 billion a day, underscoring the scale of the burden even before longer-term reconstruction and resupply costs are factored in.

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To offset part of the increase, Trump is proposing around $73 billion in cuts to non-defense spending — roughly 10 percent — “reducing or eliminating woke, weaponized and wasteful programs, and by returning state and local responsibilities to their respective governments.”

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The president has framed the defense budget increase in urgent terms, arguing that military investment must take precedence during wartime, even at the expense of federal social programs.

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“It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare,” Trump said at a recent private event, adding that such responsibilities could be handled at the state level while Washington focuses on “military protection.”

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Democrats swiftly attacked the proposal, with the party’s Senate budget leader Patty Murray warning it prioritized military spending over Americans’ needs and accusing Trump of pursuing “reckless foreign wars.”

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“Donald Trump might be happy to spend more money on bombs in the Middle East than on families here in America — but I am not,” Murray said in a statement.

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– ‘Clear signal’ –

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The White House released the request as part of a detailed 92-page budget proposal, alongside summaries outlining its priorities across federal agencies.

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The plan is not binding but serves as a statement of the administration’s priorities as Congress begins drafting spending legislation, with lawmakers retaining the power to rewrite or reject it.

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Trump is urging Congress to approve the bulk of the defense budget — more than $1.1 trillion — through the standard appropriations process, while seeking to pass a further $350 billion using a party-line mechanism that would not need Democratic support.

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Republican leaders have shown openness to that approach, particularly as they push for higher defense and immigration enforcement spending.

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But the plan may face resistance within Trump’s own party, where some lawmakers are wary of deepening federal deficits.

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The United States is already running annual shortfalls approaching $2 trillion, with total debt exceeding $39 trillion, leaving limited fiscal space for new spending without further widening the gap.

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Lawmakers from both parties have also raised concerns about the scale of the proposed military increase, particularly as the administration has provided limited detail on the trajectory of the Iran conflict.

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There is similar skepticism about the domestic cuts, many of which Congress has previously rejected. Spending bills passed earlier this year largely preserved funding for programs the White House is again seeking to reduce or eliminate.

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Beyond defense, the administration is proposing increased funding for federal law enforcement, including a boost of more than $40 billion for the Justice Department.

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Trump is also asking for $152 million to kickstart his pet project to reopen the notorious San Francisco Bay island prison Alcatraz — a drop in the ocean compared with the total estimated cost of $2 billion.

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The budget could add trillions more to the federal debt over the coming decade, but Republicans backed the push, saying the increase would help move US military spending toward five percent of GDP and strengthen deterrence.

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Roger Wicker and Mike Rogers, the respective chairmen of the Senate and House armed services committees, praised Trump in a joint statement for “sending a clear signal for our allies and partners to build on recent progress and meet this benchmark alongside us.”

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