Trump’s Budget: Starving Everything Except the Military

By
Stephen Semler

Donald Trump’s federal budget for 2026 would funnel more money to the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security — and proposes deep cuts to almost everything else.

Swearing-In Ceremony Held At White House For New Ambassador To China David Perdue

President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing-in ceremony for new US ambassador to China David Perdue in the Oval Office at the White House on May 7, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump released his federal budget for 2026. The following figures give an overall sense of what the administration is proposing:

  • Total discretionary funding requested: $1.69 trillion

  • Military spending: $1.01 trillion

  • Military spending as a share of the total: 60%

  • Military spending as a share of the FY2025 total (for comparison): 49%

  • Nonmilitary spending: $679 billion

  • Nonmilitary spending as a share of total: 40%

  • Share of “nonmilitary” spending for the departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and Veterans Affairs: 40%

  • Funding for departments whose primary purpose isn’t military, military adjacent, or policing: $412 billion

  • Share of total requested funding for those departments: 24%

Figure 1

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