Trump Proposes Massive Increase in Defense Spending

President Trump on Wednesday proposed setting US military spending at $1.5 trillion in 2027, citing "troubled and dangerous times." Trump called for the massive surge in spending days after he ordered a US military operation to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and spirit him out of the country to face drug trafficking charges in the US, the AP reports. The 2026 military budget is set at $901 billion. Trump in recent days has also called for taking over the Danish territory of Greenland for national security reasons and has suggested he's open to carrying out military operations in Colombia. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ominously warned that longtime adversary Cuba "is in trouble."

• "This will allow us to build the 'Dream Military' that we have long been entitled to and, more importantly, that will keep us SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe," Trump said in a Truth Social post announcing his proposal. He said he arrived at the $1.5 trillion figure after "long and difficult negotiations with Senators, Congressmen, Secretaries, and other Political Representatives."

• The military just received a boost of some $175 billion in the GOP's "big, beautiful bill" of tax breaks and spending reductions that Trump signed into law last year. Insisting on more funding for the Pentagon is almost certain to run into resistance from Democrats who work to maintain parity between changes in defense and nondefense spending. But it's also sure to draw objections from the GOP's deficit hawks who have pushed back against increased military spending.
• But Trump said he feels comfortable surging spending on the military because of increased revenue created by his administration through tariffs imposed on friends and foes around the globe since his return to office. He said tariff revenue would cover the massive increase. The New York Times labels the claim false, noting that while the US collected more than $200 billion from tariff revenue last year, Trump has already pledged to hand it to Americans feeling the effects of tariffs, including farmers. He has also promised $2,000 tariff rebate checks for most Americans.