Trump seeks $1.5tn for defence alongside domestic spending cuts

 

Trump has long signalled a desire to increase domestic defence manufacturing capabilities, including new Trump-class battleships unveiled in December (Image: Getty Images)

The White House is requesting that Congress increase the US defense budget to $1.5 trillion (£1.1 trillion), which would be the largest increase in military spending since World War II. 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 stated that it would pair the proposed increase with a call for cuts across all domestic agencies, including the elimination of certain programs related to education, housing, and climate change. The request, which will need to be approved by the US Congress, is separate from the $200bn that the Pentagon has sought for the war in Iran.

 The budget's online summary states that the cuts will be made by "returning local responsibilities to their respective governments" and "reducing or eliminating woke, weaponized, and wasteful programs." Trump has long indicated that he wants to increase domestic defense manufacturing and the defense budget. Trump said earlier this week that military spending should be a national priority going forward at a private event at the White House that was recorded on camera. "It's not possible for us to take care of daycare, 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".

READ MORE: Trump unveils plans for 'Golden Fleet' battleships named after himself

The proposed budget has cut spending on things other than defense by 10%, or about $73 billion. Totaling $445 billion, Trump's proposed budget would represent a 42% increase over the previous fiscal year. Of the total, approximately $1.1tn would be in discretionary spending for the Pentagon, the highest on record.

 A procedure known as budget reconciliation, a procedural shortcut that enables some legislation to pass the Senate with a simple majority of 51 votes, would generate an additional $350 billion, specifically for the industrial defense base. Additionally, the budget calls for $65.8 billion in funding for shipbuilding, which includes funding for what Trump has referred to as a "Golden Fleet" of next-generation vessels. These include the heavily armed battleships of the Trump class, which were unveiled in December. Trump said at a news conference announcing the battleship that the construction of the first of the vessels, the USS Defiant, would begin soon, with the first ships operational in two-and-a-half years.

 The United States is currently behind China in terms of shipbuilding capacity and total output, according to administration officials.

Additionally, the budget also includes an unclear amount funding for the $185bn Golden Dome, which officials have said will include multiple layers of land, sea and space based sensors and interceptors designed to protect the US from next-generation missiles and drones.

 However, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the space-based systems alone could cost $542 billion over the course of 20 years. According to experts, the total cost could eventually consume a significant portion of the enormous US defense budget.

Source: BBC