TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Donald Trump on Friday urged members of Congress to approve a massive $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027, as the United States faces escalating costs from the war with Iran and expanding global security commitments.
The proposal would increase Pentagon spending by more than 40 percent in a single year. As reported by France24, this marks the sharpest increase since World War II, as Washington seeks to sustain military operations and rebuild depleted weapon stockpiles.
The request highlights the mounting financial pressure from the conflict, now entering its fifth week, and triggers a political battle in Congress over how to fund the dramatic expansion of military expenditure.
US media, quoting a closed-door Congressional briefing, reported that the war against Iran could cost up to $2 billion per day, emphasizing the magnitude of the burden even before reconstruction costs and long-term supplies are factored in.
To partially offset the increase, Trump proposed cutting approximately $73 billion from non-defense spending, a reduction of roughly 10 percent achieved by "eliminating or reducing woke, weaponized, and wasteful programs, and returning state and local responsibilities to each respective government."
The President has portrayed the defense budget hike as an urgent necessity, arguing that military investment must take priority during wartime, even at the expense of federal social programs.
"It is not possible for us to take care of daycare, Medicaid, Medicare," Trump said at a recent private event. He added that these responsibilities could be handled at the state level while Washington focuses on "military protection."
'Reckless Foreign Wars'
The Democratic Party swiftly attacked the proposal, with Senate budget leader Patty Murray warning that it prioritizes military spending over the needs of the American people.
She accused Trump of pursuing "reckless foreign wars."
"Donald Trump may be happy to spend more money on bombs in the Middle East than on American families—but I'm not," she said in a statement.
The White House released the request as part of a detailed 92-page budget proposal, along with a summary outlining its priorities across federal agencies.
The plan is non-binding but serves as a statement of government priorities as Congress begins to draft spending laws, with lawmakers retaining the power to rewrite or reject it.
Trump is pressuring Congress to approve the bulk of the defense budget, over $1.1 trillion, through the standard allocation process. Meanwhile, he seeks to push through an additional $350 billion using a party-line mechanism that requires Democratic support.
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