U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as if firing a rifle while speaking to reporters at a briefing on April 6, 2026, at the White House in Washington, D.C. (Photo: CFP)
U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed a 2027 budget that would dramatically boost defense spending to about $1.5 trillion—a roughly 44% increase marking the largest such rise in decades—while cutting funding for a range of domestic social programs.
According to the proposal, $1.1 trillion would be allocated to the Department of War for baseline operations, with an additional $350 billion earmarked for ammunition procurement and the expansion of the defence industrial base.
To accommodate the increase in defence spending, the proposal calls for a 10% reduction, or roughly $73 billion, in non-defence discretionary spending. The cuts affect multiple sectors, including healthcare, social services, and environmental programs.
The National Institutes of Health would face a $5 billion reduction. Funding for refugee resettlement and programs supporting unaccompanied children would also be reduced.
Several programs are proposed for elimination, including the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which provides heating assistance for millions of households, as well as energy efficiency assistance programs and preschool development grants.
The budget also proposes adjustments to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), affecting nutritional benefits for low-income participants. Food assistance programs for older Americans would be discontinued.
Funding for the Environmental Protection Agency would be reduced by 52%. The proposal also includes plans to cancel approximately $15 billion in renewable energy and clean air programs, with funding redirected toward fossil fuel infrastructure.
Budgets for the Departments of Agriculture and Labor would be cut by 19% and 26%, respectively, while allocations for the Departments of the Interior, Housing and Urban Development, and Health and Human Services would each decline by about 13%.
The proposal will be subject to congressional review and approval, where it may undergo revisions before any final budget is adopted.
Reporter | Liu Xiaodi
