By Mike Stone
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump is asking Congress for a national defense budget of $892.6 billion for fiscal year 2026, flat compared to 2025 spending.
The budget request, unveiled by the White House on Friday, prioritizes rebuilding the military, re-establishing deterrence, and promoting national security.
The White House Office of Management and Budget “is not requesting a trillion-dollar budget. It is requesting a budget of $892.6 billion, which is a cut in real terms,” Republican Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. “This budget would decrease President Trump’s military options and his negotiating leverage.”
The proposed national security figure includes funding for the Department of Defense, as well as other agencies and programs that contribute to the country’s security and defense.
In addition to the budget request, congressional Republicans plan to introduce a $150-billion defense package as part of Trump’s sweeping tax cuts bill, which will cut taxes by $5 trillion and add $5.7 trillion to the federal government’s debt over the next decade.
Funds associated with the massive reconciliation bill can begin to be spent once the bill passes, and will last into 2026.
According to a statement from the White House, the Defense Department budget request “builds on the President’s promise to achieve peace through strength by providing the resources to rebuild our military, re-establish deterrence, and revive the warrior ethos of our Armed Forces.”
The White House said the funding will be used to strengthen U.S. safety, security, and sovereignty, deter Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific, and revitalize the defense industrial base.
The budget request will now be subject to review and debate in Congress, with lawmakers expected to weigh in on the proposed spending levels and priorities in the coming weeks and months.
(Reporting by Mike Stone in WashingtonEditing by Rod Nickel)
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