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WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump has called for a more than 50% increase in the Pentagon’s budget from the $901 billion Congress approved in 2026 to $1.5 trillion in 2027, saying the fiscal boost will allow the United States to build its “dream military.”
In a Jan. 7 post on Truth Social, President Trump said he would ask Congress to increase the Pentagon’s budget for next year, saying the 2027 spending was determined “after long and difficult negotiations with our senators, congressmen, secretaries, and other political representatives…especially during these extremely difficult and dangerous times.”
“The 2027 military budget should be $1.5 trillion, not $1 trillion,” President Trump wrote. “This will allow us to build the ‘army of our dreams’ to which we have long enjoyed the right, and more importantly, it will keep us safe and secure regardless of our enemies.”
“I would stick with the $1 trillion number, but because of the tariffs and the huge amount of revenue they bring in,” he added. “The $1.5 trillion figure is easily achievable.”
Such increases in the military budget require parliamentary approval. But Republicans, who hold slim majorities in both the House and Senate, have shown little appetite to oppose such spending plans.
Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan federal budget watchdog group based in Washington, D.C., said President Trump’s budget “should be rejected.”
“President Trump’s proposal to explode the Pentagon’s budget with a 50% increase next year is as useless as it sounds,” Steve Ellis, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, said in a statement. “Congress is already poised to approve a 13% increase in Pentagon spending this year. Our debt exceeds $38 trillion. There are real needs at home and abroad, none of which will be easily met by stepping on the gas in a debt crisis.”
“The president has said this large increase will be offset by tariff revenue. On top of the fact that the math doesn’t add up, the president also promised to reduce the deficit with revenue, send $2,000 checks to Americans, provide relief to farmers affected by the trade war, and the list goes on,” Ellis continued. “This kind of increase can’t happen. It shouldn’t happen. Congress must repudiate this nonsense.”
Trump’s proposal comes days after U.S. forces attacked Venezuela and stripped the country of its leader in an overnight raid. The Trump administration also said the president was discussing options for acquiring Greenland, including the possible use of U.S. troops.
Contributed by: Reuters
