U.S. defense budget to hit a trillion dollars in fiscal 2026, President Trump promises
NewsApril 08, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. President Trump promised a U.S. defense budget of $1 trillion in the upcoming fiscal year, the largest ever, during a joint press conference with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office on Monday.
The comments come just a few weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly ordered senior military officials to develop a budget plan to cut defense spending by 8%. Trump did not explain the reason for the shift.
"We also essentially approved a budget which is in the [vicinity] ... of a trillion dollars, $1 trillion," he said. "We're very cost-conscious, but the military is something that we have to build, and we have to be strong because you have a lot of bad forces out there."
Trump added that it would be the biggest budget ever for the military.
In a post on X.com, Hegseth confirmed that the Department of Defense would submit a $1 trillion budget.
The White House has not indicated when the fiscal 2026 budget would be submitted.
