President Donald Trump is calling for an approximately 50% increase in the colossal U.S. defense budget by 2027, according to documents released on Friday by the White House. If approved by lawmakers, his proposal would see American military spending skyrocket from $1,000 billion this year to $1,500 billion next year. Is this a way to pressure Iran? Perhaps, as the American president is currently caught in the midst of the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz.
The increase amounts to precisely $445 billion compared to the defense budget set for 2026. Non-military spending, on the other hand, would decrease by 10% in 2027, according to the American executive branch. The United States is by far the country with the largest defense budget in the world.
The Peter G. Peterson Foundation research institute identified in 2024 that America’s military spending outweighed the combined military budgets of the next nine countries in the ranking (China, Russia, Germany, India, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, France, and Japan).
President Donald Trump also stated on his Truth Social network on Friday that the U.S. could “open” the Strait of Hormuz and “take the oil” with “a little more time”, without specifying how he planned to do so.
“With a little more time, we could easily OPEN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ, TAKE THE OIL, AND MAKE A FORTUNE. IT WOULD BE A + BLESSING + FOR THE WHOLE WORLD,” the American president wrote. The message does not explain how the United States could end Iran’s control over this strategic maritime route or which oil is being referred to.
On the other hand, the overall non-military spending is set to decrease by 10% in 2027, as clarified by the American executive branch.
Cuts are planned in several programs that the White House criticizes for promoting progressive approaches on gender, a concept rejected by the American far right; on racial or sexual discrimination, which the American executive branch disputes; or on climate change, which Donald Trump denies.
Some social, educational, or health-related expenditures are significantly reduced in the project led by budget director Russel Vought. He applies the principles outlined in the ultra-conservative “Project 2025”, of which he is the mastermind.
In his plans, the main public medical research agency, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), sees its budget reduced by $5 billion. Development aid projects or humanitarian assistance initiatives also see their funding reduced by several billion dollars, according to the detailed project published on Friday.
However, the latter plans to significantly increase spending related to Donald Trump’s anti-immigration policy, as well as other security missions. For example, the White House requests dedicating $152 million next year to the project to reopen the famous Alcatraz prison, beloved by the American president.
This defense budget proposal comes after more than a month of a military operation against Iran that could cost up to $2 billion per day, as reported by American media, following meetings between lawmakers and government representatives.
The legislative process promises to be challenging, especially with the “mid-terms” elections on the horizon. Democratic opposition representatives, hoping to regain control of Congress in the November elections, have already criticized the request made by the executive branch.
“Americans want health expenses, not war expenses,” protested Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives, which, along with the Senate, makes up the American Parliament.
Opponents of the president have also widely circulated an excerpt of a speech given this week by Donald Trump during a private lunch, the video of which was briefly posted online by the White House before being withdrawn. “We are fighting wars,” said the Republican, who is struggling in the polls, partly due to the economic impact of the conflict in the Middle East.
“We cannot afford childcare costs, Medicaid (health insurance for the poorest), Medicare (health insurance for the elderly),” he said, arguing that these expenses should be covered by American states and not the federal government.
However, some conservatives in Donald Trump’s camp may hesitate in the face of a budget proposal that does nothing to reduce America’s heavy public debt, which already exceeds $39 trillion.
