US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he would ask Congress for a defense budget of $1.5 trillion for 2027 - an increase of about $500 billion over the current Pentagon budget, which represents a growth of nearly 50%, writes "Politico".
In a post on Truth Social, Trump did not give specific details, saying only that the funds would be used to build his "dream army". According to analysts, the massive increase reflects the high cost of a number of the president's key military initiatives, including the "Golden Dome" air defense program and his call for a new battleship design—projects that cannot be fully funded at current spending levels.
Trump has suggested that tariff revenue could cover some of the increase. Even bypassing Congress’ constitutional role in spending, existing tariff revenue remains several hundred billion dollars short of the planned amount.
Despite the difficulty of securing an additional $500 billion, Trump and many Republicans in Congress have expressed confidence that it is possible. The defense budget reached $1 trillion this year after Congress approved an additional $150 billion through a budget reconciliation bill, although a significant portion of that money would be spent over five years.
Lawmakers have yet to finalize the defense budget for the current fiscal year, and the final agreement is expected to increase Trump’s initial request by several billion dollars. Some Republicans have long pushed for military spending to reach about 5% of GDP, up from the current 3.5%.
Congressman Don Bacon of Nebraska called Trump's intentions "good news", saying that at least 4% of GDP is needed to maintain the Navy, Air Force, intercontinental ballistic missiles, bombers and to care for service members.
The budget announcement came hours after Trump criticized major defense companies, sending their shares plummeting. In a separate post, he said he would not allow stock buybacks, high executive compensation and dividends, accusing the companies of slow work and excessive prices.
The White House and Republicans have not ruled out a new, major, party-line bill to increase defense spending, although it remains unclear whether the party leadership is ready to use this procedurally complex approach again. Democrats are likely to oppose any funding that cuts health care, education and foreign aid.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole said defense spending "must go up," but did not assess whether the $1.5 trillion proposal was realistic. Representative Steve Womack of Arkansas supported the initiative, saying that years of underfunding had undermined U.S. national security.