Trump Proposes Increase in Defense Budget with Cuts to Non-Defense Spending

With the prospective $54 billion increase in the budget for the Department of Defense, the Trump administration is expected to offset those costs through cuts to non-Defense agencies.

The White House’s budget, which will be released in March, will focus on top-line allocations and a comprehensive budget will be unveiled later this year. The budget will include about a 10 percent decrease to non-Defense discretionary spending, with $462 billion in total non-Defense discretionary spending in fiscal 2018, which is down from the agreed upon $516 billion cap from 2015. Defense spending would increase from the previously approved cap of $549 billion for fiscal 2018 to $603 billion.

Congressional approval would be required to offset the increase by cutting non-Defense spending and breaking the Defense caps set in budget deals.

Additionally, the administration is weighing a 37% cut to the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development budgets.