White House seeks $1.5tn defense budget

AFP | Washington

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

US President Donald Trump asked lawmakers yesterday to approve a massive $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027, as the United States faces rising costs from its war with Iran and mounting global security commitments.

The proposal would lift Pentagon spending by more than 40% in a single year -- the sharpest increase since World War II -- as Washington seeks to sustain military operations and rebuild depleted weapons stockpiles.

The request highlights the growing financial pressure of a conflict now in its fifth week, and sets up a political battle in Congress over how to fund a dramatic expansion of military spending.

US media -- citing closeddoor congressional briefings -- have reported that the Iran war could be costing as much as $2 billion a day, underscoring the scale of the burden even before longer-term reconstruction and resupply costs are factored in.

To offset part of the increase, Trump is proposing around $73 billion in cuts to non-defense spending -- roughly 10 percent -- “reducing or eliminating woke, weaponized and wasteful programmes, and by returning State and local responsibilities to their respective governments.”

The president has framed the defense increase in urgent terms, arguing that military investment must take precedence during wartime, even at the expense of federal social programs.