Trump’s $1.5T ‘Dream military’ budget plans laid bare | US | News
President Donald Trump has proposed a significant increase in U.S. military spending for 2027, up to $1.5 trillion from this year’s $901 billion budget. This comes at a time when Trump and Stephen Miller are increasingly talking about Western Hemisphere expansionism and American occupation.
This call for increased military spending comes on the heels of a covert operation in Caracas, Venezuela, in which several areas were bombed by the United States and the country’s leader was kidnapped.
Since then, Trump and his allies have suggested that the United States should also lay claim to Danish territory and NATO ally Greenland, and have hinted at possible military operations in Colombia, Cuba and Iran. Analysts have drawn parallels between Trump’s renewed calls for land acquisition and the presidency of William McKinley, which saw Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the Philippines conquered in the 19th century.
“This will allow us to build the ‘Dream Soldier’ that has long been our right and, more importantly, will keep us SAFE and SECURE no matter our enemy,” Trump said while announcing his budget proposal at Truth Social.
The military recently received a significant injection of about $175 billion from the GOP’s “big, beautiful tax cuts and spending cuts bill” that Trump signed into law last year, The Associated Press reported.
Requests for additional Pentagon funding are likely to face opposition from Democrats, but they are also expected to face resistance from Republican deficit hawks who have previously opposed larger military spending.
However, Trump has expressed confidence in increasing military spending due to the increased revenue his administration has received through globally imposed tariffs since returning to office.
The U.S. government received $288.5 billion in gross revenue from tariffs and other excise taxes last year, a significant increase from $98.3 billion in 2024, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. This represents a significant increase in revenues from import duty.
Trump issued a stern warning to Raytheon, one of the largest US defense contractors, threatening to stop the Pentagon’s purchases from the company if it does not stop its share buyback practices and invest more profits to expand its weapons production capacity.
In recent months, Trump has expressed dissatisfaction with defense companies, criticizing them for falling behind on deliveries of key weapons, continuing to pay dividends and buybacks to investors, and paying hefty salaries to top executives.
“Either Raytheon steps up and starts investing in more upfront investments like Facilities and Equipment, or they will no longer do business with the War Department,” Trump said on social media. “Furthermore, if Raytheon wishes to do more business with the United States Government, where they have spent tens of billions of Dollars, under no circumstances will they be permitted to make additional Stock Buybacks until they take action.”
Raytheon is known for producing some of the military’s most widely used and notable missiles, including the Tomahawk cruise missile, shoulder-launched Javelin and Stinger missiles, and the Sidewinder air-to-air missile.
The company also owns Pratt and Whitney, which produces a variety of jet engines that power aircraft across all military branches, including the newest F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Shares of defense contractors took a hit on Wall Street; Northrop Grumman 5.5%, Lockheed Martin 4.8% and Raytheon parent RTX Corp. It fell 2.5%.
