President Trump proposed a $1.5 trillion defence budget on 3 April, the largest military spending request in US history and a 44% increase over the current fiscal year.
Why it matters: the proposal would reshape federal spending priorities by pairing the record military increase with $73 billion in cuts to health, education, and social programmes, setting up a major fight in Congress.
The numbers
Of the $1.5 trillion, $1.1 trillion would flow through the regular appropriations process, which requires bipartisan support. The remaining $350 billion would go through budget reconciliation, which Republicans can pass with a simple majority.
The proposal includes a 5-7% pay raise for military personnel, according to the Military Times.
What gets cut
The budget proposes a 10% reduction in non-defence federal spending. Specific cuts include health research funding, K-12 and higher education programmes, renewable energy and climate grants, a low-income housing energy programme, and community development block grants.
The case for
Supporters argue the increase is necessary given the Iran conflict, rising tensions with China, and the need to modernise the US nuclear arsenal. According to the White House, the budget reflects “the world as it is, not as we wish it were.”
The case against
Critics say the domestic cuts would harm vulnerable populations while the defence increase lacks sufficient oversight provisions. According to NPR, congressional Democrats called the proposal “a wish list that abandons working families.” Several Republican deficit hawks have also expressed concern about the overall spending level.
What happens next
Presidential budgets are rarely enacted as written. Congress controls federal spending, and both chambers will draft their own versions. The reconciliation path for $350 billion is expected to face resistance even within Republican ranks, where some members have flagged concerns about process and fiscal discipline.