Tariffs can’t pay for a $1.5 trillion military, farm bailouts, rebate checks, and the debt at the same time. That math only works if the real plan is borrowing first and explaining later. The bill always shows up after the applause.
President Donald Trump proposed giving the Pentagon a 50% raise on its nearly $1 trillion budget in 2027 to bulk up the military in what he described as “troubled and dangerous times.”
Trump did not provide details on what new pursuits the money would be used for but said the money would pay for a “Dream Military” in the Truth Social post announcing the request. He has pushed for the U.S. to build its own Golden Dome air defense system and remake battleship designs, neither of which are fully funded at current levels.
A $1.5 trillion military budget would be a substantial boost to the Pentagon’s resources from the 2026 figure of $901 billion. The military’s budget got a $175 billion increase in Republicans’ tax and spending bill last year, though most of the funds are being spent on long-term projects and wasn’t enough to keep up with inflation.
“This will allow us to build the ‘Dream Military’ that we have long been entitled to and, more importantly, that will keep us SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.