Trump seeks massive $1.5tn for defence alongside cuts in domestic spending

Trump seeks massive $1.5tn for defence alongside cuts in domestic spending19 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleBernd Debusmann JrWhite House reporter Getty ImagesTrump has long signalled a desire to increase domestic defence manufacturing capabilities, including new Trump-class battleships unveiled in December. The White House is asking Congress to boost the US defence budget to $1.5tn (£1.1tn), a sweeping rise that would mark the largest expansion in military spending since the Second World War. It includes funding for the Trump administration's proposed Golden Dome missile defence system, as well as a boost in domestic production of naval vessels, including new Trump-class battleships. The administration said it would pair the proposed increase with a call for cuts across domestic agencies, including eliminating some climate, housing, and education programmes.The request, which will need to be approved by the US Congress, is separate from the $200bn that the Pentagon sought for the war in Iran.A summary of the budget posted online notes that the cuts will be achieved by "reducing or eliminating woke, weaponised and wasteful programmes, and by returning local responsibilities to their respective governments".President Donald Trump has long signalled a desire to increase the defence budget and boost domestic defence manufacturing.At a private event at the White House earlier this week - which was caught on camera - Trump said that military spending should be a national priority going forward. "It's not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare, all of these individual things, they can do it on a state basis," the president said, adding that the focus should be on "military protection." Non-defence spending in the proposed budget has fallen by 10%, or about $73bn.Trump's proposed budget would mark a 42% increase over the previous fiscal year, totalling $445bn. Of the total, approximately $1.1...