White House Requests Massive Defense Budget Increase, Offset By Domestic Spending Cuts

The White House on Friday asked Congress to approve roughly $1.5 trillion for defense in fiscal year 2027, a record-setting proposal that would dramatically expand military funding while slashing domestic programs by tens of billions of dollars.

The administration’s official budget fact sheet outlined a $445 billion jump over current defense levels, amounting to a 42% increase. Of the total, $1.1 trillion would flow through the standard appropriations process, while $350 billion would move through budget reconciliation, a procedural tool requiring only a simple majority in Congress. (RELATED: Iran War Bill Now Bigger Than DOGE Cuts Congress Passed)

The White House said the additional mandatory funds would go toward munitions production, defense industrial expansion and continued investment in the Golden Dome missile defense system.

Breaking News: The White House said it would ask Congress for about $1.5 trillion for defense in 2027, its highest level in modern history. https://t.co/09ipjFk1B2

— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 3, 2026

The proposal pairs the historic Pentagon boost with $73 billion in cuts to nondefense spending, a 10% reduction, according to The New York Times. Programs targeted for elimination or reduction include federal heating assistance for low-income households, clean energy research and grants that the administration labeled “woke, weaponized, and wasteful.” The Environmental Protection Agency would see its budget cut in half, while the Department of Health and Human Services would lose 12.5%, the Times reported.

The Golden Dome program alone would receive $17.5 billion under the plan, with nearly all of that money dependent on passing reconciliation, according to The Hill. The outlet also reported the project’s estimated total cost has climbed to $185 billion, up from an original $125 billion projection.

Congressional resistance surfaced quickly on both sides of the aisle. Sen. Susan Collins, the Republican chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pushed back on the proposed domestic reductions. “After careful review, Congress decisively rejected these particular cuts last year,” Collins said in a statement, according to the Times.