President Donald Trump said the 2027 defense budget should be increased to $1.5 trillion, citing national security needs and high tariff revenues as reasons why a higher amount is necessary and achievable.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump released statement on Truth Social calling for an increase in the 2027 military budget, raising the target from $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion. He attributed the shift to “long and difficult negotiations with senators, congressmen, secretaries and other political representatives.” Trump noted that the decision was made “for the good of our country, especially in these very troubling and dangerous times.”
Trump said the proposed increase would create what he called a “dream military force,” arguing that such a force would ensure the United States remains “SAFE and SECURE, no matter the adversary.” He linked the feasibility of the budget increase to the revenue generated from tariffs, saying the “huge numbers” of tariff revenue made a larger figure viable. “Because of the tariffs and the enormous revenue they generate and the amounts they generate that would have been unthinkable in the past…we could easily reach the $1.5 trillion figure,” Trump wrote. He added that this approach would also allow “pay[ing] reduce the debt” and provide “substantial dividends for our country's moderate-income Patriots.”
Trump compared current tariff revenues to what he called lower expectations from “the administration of sleepy Joe Biden, the worst president in the history of our country!”
The announcement comes in the context of ongoing debate over defense spending under both the Biden and Trump administrations. Under President Joe Biden, Defense Department budgets have shrunk. visible incremental increases — reaching $886 billion in the 2024 request — but also faced criticism from Republicans who argue that inflation has effectively turned the increase into cuts.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) stated that “progressives really want to cut the military budget” while championing priorities such as a $15 minimum wage and expanding Medicare, including lowering the eligibility age or implementing Medicare for All. In 2020, then-candidate Joe Biden collided pressure from more than 50 progressive groups calling for annual cuts to Pentagon spending of $200 billion, an end to nuclear arsenal modernization and the elimination of the Space Force.
Some members of Congress, such as Sen. Roger Wicker (R-N.Y.) and Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), have criticized Biden's budgets as insufficient given rising global threats and inflationary pressures. Wicker called the defense budget request “wildly inadequate and disappointing,” saying it “doesn't even allocate resources.” [Biden’s] our own National Defense Strategy to protect our country from growing threats around the world.” Tenney said the proposed increase is actually a cut, saying “the 3.2% increase has not kept pace with inflation and the cost of replenishing depleted supplies around the world” and warned that “our main adversaries, China and Russia, continue to increase military spending that poses a serious threat to U.S. security at home and abroad.”
In 2022, Biden's Pentagon proposed will spend about $30.8 million to combat “extremism” in the military, as well as about $9.1 million in fiscal year 2021 on initial efforts. The department did not define what constitutes extremism and did not have data on its prevalence in the ranks. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told Breitbart News that “the events of January 6 and the presence of some veterans in that crowd have certainly captured everyone's attention here.” The initiative included reviewing social media, updating screening protocols, implementing standardized training and awareness campaigns, and developing a corporate system for tracking related activity.
More recently, a provision emerged in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2024. presented House Republicans banned gender reassignment procedures and medications for minors under TRICARE, the military's health care program. Democrats opposed the measure, arguing it would introduce partisanship into what has traditionally been a bipartisan process. The debate has further intensified the focus on the direction and use of military funding.
In parallel, the Ministry of Defense unsuccessful its seventh straight audit in 2024 failed to fully reflect the $824 billion budget. The audit identified 28 material deficiencies and raised concerns about financial accountability. Despite this, senior Pentagon officials have touted progress and said the agency is moving toward more efficient management systems.
