The Trump administration has announced plans to request $1.01 trillion for Pentagon spending for fiscal year 2026. That includes more than two thirds of the $150 billion from the reconciliation bill currently being considered by Congress, coupled with the $893 billion requested in President Donald Trump’s “skinny budget.”
If Congress signs off on the president’s request, this would mark the start of a new era of trillion-dollar Pentagon budgets. It would be paired with massive cuts to critical non-military programs like housing assistance, education initiatives, environmental programs, and foreign aid.
This should raise serious concerns, not just about the staggering topline levels, but about how the money would be used.
Much of the Pentagon’s reconciliation funding would go toward costly, controversial, and destabilizing weapons programs. This includes the Golden Dome missile shield, a proposed space-based defense system that would break with longstanding arms control norms, not to mention being extremely expensive and unreliable.
Lawmakers like Rep. Greg Casar (TX-35) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA) have called for an investigation, warning that the program “poses serious risks to U.S. national security, global strategic stability, and the federal government’s integrity.” Elon Musk, currently a frontrunner for a potential Golden Dome contract, has major conflicts of interest as a special advisor to President Trump and the head of SpaceX.
Other reconciliation funds would support nuclear weapons modernization, including the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile. Originally advertised as an upgrade, the program now requires building new missile silos, which would increase costs yet again. This recommits the U.S to costly and unnecessary ground-based nuclear weapons, which make our country and the world less safe.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon continues to struggle with oversight. It has failed seven consecutive audits and cannot account for trillions in assets. Nearly half of its budget goes to contractors, not directly to troops, civilian workers, or military families. And yet, this proposal would push U.S. military spending to levels not seen even during the Cold War.
This is not just a matter of spending but of moral priorities. Every dollar directed to the Pentagon is a dollar not spent on affordable housing, strong schools, quality healthcare, or a more livable planet.
The Trump administration has made its initial request. Now, it is up to Congress to decide whether to give it the stamp of approval. A trillion-dollar Pentagon budget should not become business as usual.
