Trump administration to request $1T defense budget using reconciliation funds

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivers remarks to troops alongside President Donald Trump, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, Michigan Senator Aric Nesbitt, Michigan National Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, and Michigan National Guard Assistant Adjutant General Brig. Gen. Daniel J. Kramer II at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Harrison Township, Mich., April 29, 2025. (DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza)

By Valerie Insinna • May 04, 2025

The Trump administration will request a $1 trillion national defense budget in fiscal 2026, but will only hit those record levels by including more than two thirds of the $150 billion in extra defense funds contained in a Republican reconciliation megabill currently making its way through Congress.

The White House will seek $1.01 trillion in total national defense spending for FY26, it announced Friday morning as it released its “skinny budget,” a document that gives the toplines for different government offices but contains few details.

The request would increase defense funding by 13 percent compared to FY25 through both discretionary funds as well as “$113 billion in mandatory funding” — a reference to the defense funds included in the GOP-led reconciliation bill.