The White House unveiled President Donald Trump's fiscal year 2027 budget proposal on Friday, calling for a record $1.5 trillion in defense and national security spending. This marks the largest year-over-year increase in defense spending since World War II and represents roughly a 50 percent jump from current levels of around $1 trillion.

The proposal structures the funding as a $1.15 trillion base budget, the first time exceeding $1 trillion, plus $350 billion sourced through congressional reconciliation, which could bypass some procedural hurdles. Of the base budget, about $260 billion targets procurement, and $220 billion goes to research, development, testing, and evaluation, totaling around $760 billion for weapons development and acquisition.

Key priorities include procuring 18 battle force ships and 16 non-battle force ships, such as Virginia-class submarines from General Dynamics and Huntington Ingalls Industries, along with 85 F-35 jets from Lockheed Martin—32 via the base budget and 53 through reconciliation. The budget also allocates $17.5 billion for the Golden Dome missile defense shield, Trump's signature project described as a $185 billion initiative to counter threats, with $400 million in the base and the rest via reconciliation.

Funding aims to deter Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific and replenish munitions stocks depleted by U.S.-supported conflicts in Israel, Iran, and Ukraine. Additional emphasis falls on Space Force expansion and nuclear forces modernization.

Trump justified the shift toward military priorities during a White House event this week, stating, “We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of the day care. We can’t take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things. They can do it on a state basis. You can’t do it on a federal level.” The budget proposes deep cuts to domestic programs, including education, health agencies like the CDC, housing aid, and others, while urging states to handle more responsibilities.

Congress must approve the budget, which serves as a blueprint without binding force. Lawmakers have historically rejected Trump's proposed domestic cuts, maintaining flat or increased funding for many programs despite his requests. Current fiscal year spending battles, including a recent partial government shutdown over DHS funding, underscore ongoing tensions.

Fiscal watchdogs raised alarms over debt implications. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated the $1.5 trillion level would add $6.9 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, including interest, atop the current $39 trillion. The proposal arrives amid nearly $2 trillion annual deficits, with two-thirds of spending on autopilot for entitlements like Medicare and Social Security.

The budget sets the stage for midterm election debates, framing defense strength against global threats while highlighting Republican priorities on spending restraint elsewhere.