Defense-focused Trump budget seeks to cut Democratic priorities – Roll Call

## Summary
President Donald Trump speaks after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) By Aidan Quigley Posted April 3, 2026 at 5:31pm Facebook Twitter Email Reddit President Donald Trump unveiled a nearly $2.2 trillion spending request for fiscal 2027 Friday that features an enormous defense boost, posing a major challenge to GOP leaders as they seek an election-year spending deal with Democrats. National security spending would soar to $1.5 trillion in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, a roughly 42 percent — or $445 billion — increase from this year’s level, the budget shows. The request is “truly historic when it comes to defense spending,” Senate Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a statement. “It is the most robust increase in defense spending in many years, and it is more than justified by the threats we face throughout the world.” Trump is expected to seek even more defense funding in a supplemental request for the Iran war that could amount to $200 billion. We have to guard the country.” Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, praised the defense boost, but said the nondefense side of the request had “several shortcomings” that Congress had already rejected in fiscal 2026. “For example, the proposal includes unwarranted funding cuts in biomedical research,” she said. “It would also terminate worthwhile programs like LIHEAP, which helps low-income families and seniors to pay their energy bills during the cold winter and hot summer months, and TRIO, which assists low-income, first-generation students in pursuing higher education.” With relatively flat nondefense spending since Republicans took back control of the House in the 2022 midterm elections, key programs that are Democratic priorities are starting to feel the pinch.

## Article Content
President Donald Trump speaks after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
By
Aidan Quigley
Posted April 3, 2026 at 5:31pm
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President Donald Trump unveiled a nearly $2.2 trillion spending request for fiscal 2027 Friday that features an enormous defense boost, posing a major challenge to GOP leaders as they seek an election-year spending deal with Democrats.
National security spending would soar to $1.5 trillion in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, a roughly 42 percent — or $445 billion — increase from this year’s level, the budget shows. But the administration is counting on Republicans to provide most of that increase, or $350 billion, through a filibuster-proof reconciliation bill, outside of the normal appropriations process.
Nondefense programs, meanwhile, would again be put on the chopping block. Discretionary nondefense programs would face a net cut of $73 billion, or 10 percent, in the coming fiscal year. And if proposed increases for veterans and Pell Grants were set aside, all other nondefense programs would take a collective hit of $95 billion.
Even so, the budget ax would not fall quite as sharply as the administration had sought last year, when it proposed slashing nondefense programs by about $160 billion, not counting homeland security funding. Congress largely rejected those cuts in its final fiscal 2026 appropriations laws.
All told, spending would amount to nearly $2.18 trillion, a 15.3 percent increase, after accounting for disaster relief, wildfire suppression and other programs that don’t count against annual spending limits. But the budget document didn’t include all the mandatory spending programs, such as Social Security and Medicare, along with interest on the debt, that would show total federal spending surpassing $7 trillion in the coming year.
The budget “builds on the President’s vision by continuing to constrain non-defense spending and reform the Federal Government,” Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought wrote in a letter to Congress accompanying the budget.
“The Budget maintains investments in border security and immigration enforcement while protecting the Nation from threats of terrorism; delivers on the President’s commitment to support law enforcement and ensure they have the tools, technology, and resources necessary to keep themselves and Americans safe; and honors the Nation’s sacred obligation to military veterans,” Vought wrote.
The proposal immediately drew serious pushback from Democrats. Senate Appropriations ranking member Patty Murray, D-Wash., said that Trump’s vision as laid out in the budget is “bleak and unacceptable.”
“President Trump wants to slash medical research to fund costly foreign wars,” Murray said in a statement. “It doesn’t get more backward than that, and the only responsible thing to do with a budget this morally bankrupt is to toss it in the trash.”
The request, while largely a messaging document, will help shape Republican priorities heading into the midterm elections, where they will fight to retain their thin majorities in both chambers. It also marks the official kickoff of the fiscal 2027 appropriations process, which is already starting about two months late.
The president’s request is due by statute on the first Monday in February, though that deadline is seldom honored. And the fiscal 2026 appropriations process isn’t even completed yet, as lawmakers continue to fight over funding for the Department of Homeland Security amid a partisan war over immigration enforcement.
Defense bonanza
Republicans were quick to cheer the proposed defense boost, which Trump had already telegraphed months ago but which gained added attention as the administration launched military strikes against Iran.
The request is “truly historic when it comes to defense spending,” Senate Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a statement. “It is the most robust increase in defense spending in many years, and it is more than justified by the threats we face throughout the world.”
Trump is expected to seek even more defense funding in a supplemental request for the Iran war that could amount to $200 billion. And much of the defense request appeared aimed at countering the growing threat from China.
Murray said the request would give the Pentagon an amount that it “can’t possibly spend responsibly.”
“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,” she said.
And the prospects for another budget reconciliation bill for substantial new defense spending are shaky, though they gained a little strength in recent days with
Trump’s newly pledged support
for the plan.
But some GOP appropriators and war hawks in both chambers are wary of continuing to provide significant funding through reconciliation, without building those increases into the annual spending levels. The P

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- The request is “truly historic when it comes to defense spending,” Senate Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a statement. “It is the most robust increase in defense spending in many years, and it is more than justified by the threats we face throughout the world.” Trump is expected to seek even more defense funding in a supplemental request for the Iran war that could amount to $200 billion.
- But some GOP appropriators and war hawks in both chambers are wary of continuing to provide significant funding through reconciliation, without building those increases into the annual spending levels.
- Nondefense programs targeted The budget lays the groundwork for another clash with Democrats over nondefense spending as it seeks significant cuts to discretionary budget authority for a slew of departments key to the party’s priorities.

### Areas for Consideration
- President Donald Trump speaks after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) By Aidan Quigley Posted April 3, 2026 at 5:31pm Facebook Twitter Email Reddit President Donald Trump unveiled a nearly $2.2 trillion spending request for fiscal 2027 Friday that features an enormous defense boost, posing a major challenge to GOP leaders as they seek an election-year spending deal with Democrats.
- And much of the defense request appeared aimed at countering the growing threat from China.
- For example, the Pell Grant program — which provides college aid for millions of lower- and middle-income students — is facing an unprecedented $17 billion gap between available appropriations and projected need.

### Implications
- The budget “builds on the President’s vision by continuing to constrain non-defense spending and reform the Federal Government,” Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought wrote in a letter to Congress accompanying the budget. “The Budget maintains investments in border security and immigration enforcement while protecting the Nation from threats of terrorism; delivers on the President’s commitment to support law enforcement and ensure they have the tools, technology, and resources necessary to keep themselves and Americans safe; and honors the Nation’s sacred obligation to military veterans,” Vought wrote.
- Senate Appropriations ranking member Patty Murray, D-Wash., said that Trump’s vision as laid out in the budget is “bleak and unacceptable.” “President Trump wants to slash medical research to fund costly foreign wars,” Murray said in a statement. “It doesn’t get more backward than that, and the only responsible thing to do with a budget this morally bankrupt is to toss it in the trash.” The request, while largely a messaging document, will help shape Republican priorities heading into the midterm elections, where they will fight to retain their thin majorities in both chambers.
- The request is “truly historic when it comes to defense spending,” Senate Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a statement. “It is the most robust increase in defense spending in many years, and it is more than justified by the threats we face throughout the world.” Trump is expected to seek even more defense funding in a supplemental request for the Iran war that could amount to $200 billion.
- Murray said the request would give the Pentagon an amount that it “can’t possibly spend responsibly.” “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,” she said.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers percent, budget, spending topics. Notable strengths include discussion of percent. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 1550.