United States President Donald Trump has asked for a nearly 40 percent increase in military spending over last year in his annual budget request, which totals $1.5 trillion.While the budget request released on Friday is not legally binding, it underscores the White House’s priorities, with its heavy emphasis on military spending and law enforcement.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list“The 2027 Budget builds on the President’s vision by continuing to constrain non-defense spending and reform the Federal Government,” Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, said in the proposal’s preface.The heightened spending, according to the document, “advances President Trump’s delivery of peace through strength by reinvesting in the foundations of American military power”.The budget is expected to be the subject of lengthy congressional negotiations in the weeks to come.The $1.5 trillion request involves an increase of about $455bn over fiscal year 2026. It is separate from an emergency request of $200bn that the Trump administration requested from Congress to support the US-Israeli war with Iran, which began on February 28.That previous demand had already roiled some standard-bearers in Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) base, who argued that diverting more money to the conflict ran against the president’s “America First” pledges.The budget outline includes a proposed $73bn in cuts to domestic programmes.That includes initiatives to counter climate change and boost renewable energy, as well as a slate of programmes meant to assure equality and access in housing, education and healthcare. Funding for refugee resettlement and aid programmes are also slated to be pared down. Advertisement Instead, funding would be used to build Trump’s Golden …
