Trump's 2027 budget asks Congress for $1.5 trillion in defense spending

Politics Trump's 2027 budget asks Congress for $1.5 trillion in defense spending, with 10% cuts elsewhere By Kathryn Watson, Kathryn Watson Politics Reporter Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C. Read Full Bio Kathryn Watson, Aaron Navarro Aaron Navarro Digital Reporter Aaron Navarro is a CBS News digital reporter. He covered the 2024 elections and was previously an associate producer for the CBS News political unit in the 2021 and 2022 election cycles. Read Full Bio Aaron Navarro Updated on: April 3, 2026 / 10:23 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — President Trump's budget proposal for fiscal year 2027 asks Congress for $1.5 trillion in defense spending — a 42% increase — while cutting nondefense spending by $73 billion, or 10%.The White House released the 92-page budget request on Friday, accompanied by several summaries of the administration's key priorities across the executive branch.The proposed increase for the military comes as the U.S. is spending billions of dollars for the war in Iran, and the White House  is preparing to ask Congress for a supplemental spending package to cover the cost of the conflict. The president's 2027 budget serves as the starting point for negotiations with Congress over annual spending bills that lawmakers aim to finalize later in the year. The spending levels that Congress ultimately sets can substantially differ from the president's proposal."This amount exceeds even the [Ronald] Reagan buildup by approaching the historic increases just prior to World War II, a level that recognizes the current global threat environment and restores the readiness and lethality of our forces," a White House summary of the military portion of the budget proposal states. The increase in defense spending would cover a 5 to 7% pay raise for troops, provide $65.8 billion for new ships and resupply critical munition stocks, which have been depl...