Trump Requests Record $1.01 Trillion for National Defense for FY2026
US President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US President Donald Trump has proposed a historic $1.01 trillion budget for national defense for fiscal year 2026, representing a 13% increase from the current year’s $878.4 billion, according to a document released by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on Friday.”For Defense spending, the President proposes an increase of 13 percent to $1.01 trillion for FY 2026,” OMB director Russell Vought said in a letter to Senate Committee on Appropriations chair Susan Collins. Trump also proposed to cut non-defense discretionary budget spending by $163 billion or 22.6%, according to the letter.The defense budget request includes $113 billion in mandatory funding and emphasizes investments aimed at revitalizing the US defense industrial base, deterring potential Chinese aggression, and modernizing the US nuclear deterrent, the letter said.Trump’s budget proposal supports US space dominance to strengthen US national security and strategic advantage, the letter added.AnalysisTrump’s Defense Budget Proposal to Russia & China Aims to Give US Military Edge – Ex-US Marine26 February, 12:44 GMTDonald Trump’s budget request for the fiscal year 2026 pauses most contributions to the United Nations and other international organizations, according to the document.”The Budget pauses most assessed and all voluntary contributions to UN and other international organizations, including for the UN Regular Budget, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and the World Health Organization,” OMD director Russell Vought said in a letter to Senate Committee on Appropriations chair Susan Collins.Trump’s budget also does not allocate funds for “wasteful” United Nations (UN) and other peacekeeping missions, citing recent failures and high assessment costs, according to the letter.The Trump administration requested on Friday in its 2026 budget proposal to refocus NASA funding on flying to the Moon and sending humans to Mars.”The Budget refocuses National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) funding on beating China back to the Moon and on putting the first human on Mars. By allocating over $7 billion for lunar exploration and introducing $1 billion in new investments for Mars-focused programs, the Budget ensures that America’s human space exploration efforts remain unparalleled, innovative, and efficient,” the budget request said.The budget request also included the reduction in the International Space Station’s (ISS) crew size, onboard research, and preparation for decommissioning by 2030.”The Budget reduces the space station’s crew size and onboard research, preparing for a safe decommissioning of the station by 2030 and replacement by commercial space stations,” the White House said.Trump has requested a record $175 billion investment to fully secure the US border, according to the document.“For Homeland Security, the Budget commits a historic $175 billion investment to, at long last, fully secure our border,” OMB director Russell Vought said in a letter to Senate Committee on Appropriations chair Susan Collins.The request reflects an almost 65% increase compared to the fiscal year 2025, when $107.9 billion was allocated for Homeland Security.AmericasMusk Vows to Cut US Budget Spending by $2 Trillion If Trump Wins28 October 2024, 04:52 GMTThe Trump administration’s 2026 budget request included funding for the F-47 fighter jet program and a down-payment for the Golden Dome missile defense shield deployment in the United States, the White House said on Friday.”Specifically, the Budget… makes a down-payment on the development and deployment of a Golden Dome for America, a next-generation missile defense shield that would protect the U.S. from missile threats coming from any adversary,” the White House said.The budget proposal also funds the F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance platform, :the world’s first crewed sixth-generation fighter aircraft”, it added.The request included funding for the F-47 fighter jet program and a down-payment for the Golden Dome missile defense shield deployment in the United States, the White House said on Friday.”Specifically, the Budget… makes a down-payment on the development and deployment of a Golden Dome for America, a next-generation missile defense shield that would protect the U.S. from missile threats coming from any adversary,” the White House said.The budget proposal also funds the F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance platform, :the world’s first crewed sixth-generation fighter aircraft”, it added.Multimedia2025 US Military Budget: Where’s the Money Going?29 December 2024, 14:00 GMTTrump’s budget proposal eliminates funding for the National Endowment for Democracy program as it was used “to blacklist conservative media” and label figures like JD Vance as “foreign propagandists of the Russian Federation” under the Biden administration, the document said.”National Endowment for Democracy (NED) – The Budget defunds this program that under the Biden Administration was used to dox journalists, push propaganda, and blacklist conservative media outlets, saving $315 million. In March 2025, it was uncovered that the Ukraine disinformation organization that doxxed U.S. journalists, called for prosecutions of Trump world, and smeared the likes of Vice President Vance and others as ‘foreign propogandists of the Russian Federation,’ were funded by NED. NED also funded the now-infamous State Department Disinformation Index Foundation that targeted and blacklisted conservative media outlets such as Federalist, Newsmax, TAC, the Blaze, NYP, etc,” the document said.The budget request also proposes the closure of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and transfer of the remaining programs under the umbrella of the State Department.Besides, it proposes the closure of the United States Institute of Peace.