Trump Seeks Document $1.5 Trillion for Army, Paid for by Big Cuts Elsewhere – The Washington Customary

To pay for his war, Trump wants cuts in the EPA, Education, Disaster Funding, TSA, Health. Budget lies also needed.

Largest Military Request in Modern History

The Wall Street Journal reports Trump Seeks $1.5 Trillion for Military, the Largest Request in Modern History

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President Trump on Friday released a summary of his budget proposal for the 2027 fiscal year, seeking $1.5 trillion in military spending, by far the largest dollar amount in modern history.

The proposal for military spending included $1.1 trillion for the Defense Department for the next fiscal year, as well as another $350 billion for critical munitions, an effort to expand the military industrial base and other matters. Trump promised a $1.5 trillion military request in January, before the U.S. launched large-scale strikes on Iran.

The Pentagon portion of the request includes funding to boost manufacturing of munitions, a priority of Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg. The Pentagon request calls for buying 34 ships, including funding for a new class of battleship named after Trump and new frigates, both announced last year. In all, the administration wants $65.8 billion for shipbuilding. The defense request also includes money to build the Golden Dome missile shield championed by Trump.

Most By Over $500 Billion!

LARGEST MILITARY BUDGET EVER PROPOSED IN U.S. HISTORY.

Trump’s FY27 budget requests $1.5 trillion for defense, alongside $2.2 trillion for other government agencies.

This is the first time the base defense budget crosses $1 trillion, with the total pushed higher through… pic.twitter.com/ziAIUenDjn

— Bull Theory (@BullTheoryio) April 3, 2026

Proposed Cuts

• Nondefense Spending: A 10% reduction of nondefense spending to about $660 billion in fiscal year 2027, followed by additional cuts in subsequent years.
• Federal Emergency Management Agency: The administration wants forcing states and local governments to address their own disasters.
• Cybersecurity including elections: The administration would cut $707 million from DHS’s cybersecurity agency and end its election security work.
• TSA: Re-privatize the Transportation Security Administration by forcing small airports to hire private security contractors.
• Department of Health and Human Services: A reduction of $15.8 billion or 12.5% from the 2026 enacted level.

Budget Lies Make Up the Difference

• In 2026, the budget estimates the U.S. will take in over $406 billion in tariff revenue, more than double the $194 billion that the government received from tariffs in 2025.
• The budget forecasts that annual tariff revenue will reach $500 billion by 2029.
• In 2026, the Yale Budget Lab estimates that Trump’s current tariffs would bring in just over $171 billion—less than half of the Trump administration’s estimate.
• In 2029, Yale estimates tariff revenue would be $193 billion under current policies, a far cry from the half-trillion that Trump’s team expects.

Trump did not include refunds of tariffs ordered by the International Court of Trade.

And he assumes replacement tariffs will make up any deficits. The problem is the replacement tariffs absolutely will not provide Trump’s nonsensical estimates.

And those tariffs are themselves constitutionally questionable.

Additional Budget Cut Details

My synopsis of cuts was highlights only. Here are additional details.

Trump has proposed a $1.5 trillion defense budget — a 40% increase, the largest since WWII.

In exchange for more war he wants to:

-Cut the EPA budget by half
-Cut $10.7 billion for housing
-Cut $8.5 billion for K-12 programs
-Cancel $15 billion for clean energy
-Cut $2.5…

— More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) April 3, 2026

Sen. Patty Murray, (D., Wash.), said military funding comes at the expense of medical research. “Our national defense budget should not be dictated by a president who is sending servicemembers into harm’s way in reckless foreign wars,” she said.

Midterm Campaign

Bloomberg reports that Trump plans to center his midterm campaign on a fiscal 2027 budget that expands military spending and pays for it through healthcare cuts.

Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/D9MNdVnz5v

— AF Post (@AFpost) April 2, 2026

Wow. What continued (but expected) hubris.

Bear in mind the Golden Dome will easily cost 10 if not 50 times whatever down payment Trump requests. Destroyers named after Trump! Sheesh.

While I sympathize with some nondefense cuts, the package as a whole is fiscally insane.

Expect a midterm Republican washout. I will discuss how big in a post coming up soon.

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Article posted with permission from Mish Shedlock