Trump seeks 44% increase to boost military budget to $1.5 trillion

By Brett Rowland
The Center Square

President Donald Trump on Friday unveiled a budget that calls for a 44% increase in military spending, aiming to bolster the nation’s defenses, but the plan lacks crucial details about how it would affect taxpayers.

The sweeping proposal, released with limited fiscal details, has sparked heated debate in Washington. Supporters argue the unprecedented increase is essential to bolster U.S. defenses amid rising global threats, while critics warn that the lack of transparency and reliance on optimistic economic projections could worsen the nation’s financial outlook. As Congress weighs the plan, questions remain about its long-term impact on both military readiness and the federal budget.

The initial plan omits key projections, such as total spending, expected revenue and future debt levels. One budget watchdog described the document as featuring “an astonishing lack of information.”

Despite these gaps, the 92-page document reveals the president’s intent to significantly increase funding for the U.S. Department of War, potentially reaching record levels.

“President Trump promised to reinvest in America’s national security infrastructure, to make sure our nation is safe in a dangerous world,” Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought wrote in the proposal. “The 2027 budget upholds this promise and would ensure that the United States continues to maintain the world’s most powerful and capable military.”

The president’s budget plan was released the same day as a public warning from the Government Accountability Office highlighting the nation’s “unsustainable fiscal path.”

The White House said the 92-page budget proposal was limited to Trump’s near-term proposals.

“The President’s Budget does not include mandatory or revenue proposals, so any attempt to discern a 10-year baseline in what was released is both inaccurate and a waste of time,” an Office of Management and Budget spokesperson told The Center Square.

Nevertheless, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget noted that the president’s plan “reports to reduce debt to about 94% of [GDP] by 2036 – compared to 120% of GDP in the Congressional Budget Office’s most recent baseline – largely by assuming 3% average annual real GDP growth over the decade.”

Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget President Maya MacGuineas said the proposal was notable for what it didn’t include.

“It is missing any significant plan for how to address the major drivers of our spending and deficit growth, it leaves Social Security on a track to be insolvent within the decade, and it relies on an entire decade of rosy economic assumptions for the vast majority of its improvements in the nation’s finances,” she said in a statement. “In fact, it includes no summary figures of deficits or debt under the President’s budget. It is an astonishing lack of information.”

The White House did not respond to questions from The Center Square about whether the president would sign a budget that wasn’t balanced or support a bipartisan proposal to cap annual deficits at 3% of GDP.

Trump’s budget proposes to increase total defense funding to $1.5 trillion in fiscal year 2027, including $350 billion of funding in a new reconciliation bill and a $251 billion increase in base defense discretionary spending – partially offset by a purported $73 billion, or 10%, reduction in base nondefense discretionary spending, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

The Department of War would see its budget climb by 44%, reaching $441 billion. New spending would fund projects such as the Golden Dome missile defense system and provide pay raises for military personnel. The proposal includes a 7% salary increase for service members ranked E-5 and below, 6% for E-6 to O-3, and 5% for O-4 and above.

The budget also calls for $65.8 billion to build 18 battle force ships and 16 non-battle force ships, with initial funding for a new class of battleships and next-generation frigates. Additional funds would be allocated to restock munitions and support the development of the F-47, a sixth-generation fighter jet.

Republican leaders of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees praised the proposal.

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., called the proposal a significant military investment.

“America is facing the most dangerous global environment since World War II,” they said in a joint statement. “Growing threats from adversaries such as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Islamic radicals, and narco-terrorists require decisive action and renewed urgency to reinvest in our defenses. This bold commitment provides the resources needed to rebuild American military capability and confront those challenges head-on.”

They added: “These funds will drive the U.S. toward a defense budget of 5% of GDP–a benchmark we have long supported as necessary to maintain our national defense. President Trump is also sending a clear signal for our allies and partners to build on recent progress and meet this benchmark alongside us.”

Neither Wicker nor Rogers responded to questions from The Center Square about whether the military spending proposal could pass without Democratic support.

U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, criticized both the overall budget proposal and its military spending increases.

“This proposed spending spree doesn’t take into account the fact that this Administration is also likely to request a major emergency war supplemental,” he said in a statement. “I will not rubber-stamp a bloated, undisciplined budget.”

Reed also took aim at Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

“The U.S. Department of Defense doesn’t lack funding, but it currently lacks responsible civilian leadership and management,” he said.