The American People Don’t Want a Bigger Military Budget

By
Stephen Semler

Only one in ten American voters want a bigger military budget. Congress keeps approving massive spending increases anyway, as it did when it voted for a nearly $1 trillion military budget last week.

U.S. Troops In Poland Bolster NATO Eastern Flank As Ukraine War Rages

Historic increases in military spending like the one authorized by the NDAA enable Trump’s foreign policy and practically define his domestic agenda. (Omar Marques / Getty Images)

The House passed the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Wednesday last week, which authorizes $901 billion in military spending — $8 billion more than Donald Trump asked for. An additional $156 billion was included in the Big Beautiful Bill, so the NDAA’s passage signals congressional support not only for its many ugly provisions, but also for a $1 trillion-plus military budget next year.

Historic increases in military spending like the one authorized by the NDAA enable Trump’s foreign policy and practically define his domestic agenda. Money is policy. If you oppose war with Venezuela, occupations of US cities, or a historic transfer of public wealth to private companies partly paid for by cuts to social programs, you vote against the NDAA. If you’re fine with or get excited about those things, you vote for the bill.

I recommended that members of Congress oppose the bill. Only a quarter of them did: the bill passed by a 312-112 margin.

This article is for subscribers only. Please login or subscribe to access our full archives and beautiful print and digital magazine starting at just $3 a month.