Trump to raise defence spending
US president to seek to boost Pentagon spending by $54 billion in his first budget proposal
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Monday he is seeking a “historic increase” in military spending to be funded by cuts elsewhere in government.
Trump will seek to boost Pentagon spending by $54 billion in his first budget proposal and slash the same amount from non-defence spending, including a large reduction in foreign aid, a White House budget official said.
“This budget will be a public safety and national security budget,” Trump told state governors at the White House. “It will include an historic increase in defence spending to rebuild the depleted military of the United States of America at a time we most need it,” he said.
The US military is already the world’s most powerful fighting force and the US spends far more than any other country on defence.
The White House will send Trump’s proposal to federal departments on Monday as he gears up for budget negotiations with Congress that often take months to play out. Congress, controlled by Trump’s fellow Republicans, has the final say on federal spending.
In a speech to conservative activists on Friday, Trump promised “one of the greatest military buildups in American history.”
Two officials familiar with Trump’s proposal said the planned defence spending increase would be financed partly by cuts to the State Department, Environmental Protection Agency and other non-defence programmes.
One of the officials said Trump’s request for the Pentagon included more money for shipbuilding, military aircraft and establishing “a more robust presence in key international waterways and chokepoints” such as the Strait of Hormuz and South China Sea.
A second official said the State Department’s budget could be cut by as much as 30%, which would force a major restructuring of the department and elimination of programs.
Some defence experts have questioned the need for a large increase in US military spending, which already stands at roughly $600 billion annually. By contrast, the US spends about $50 billion annually on the State Department and foreign assistance.
Trump also said he would talk about his plans for infrastructure spending in a speech to Congress on Tuesday. “We’re going to start spending on infrastructure big,” he said.
‘NEW TRAVEL BAN ORDER ON WEDNESDAY’
Trump is expected to sign a new refugee and immigration executive order on Wednesday, a senior administration official said.
He initially planned to sign the new order last week, but spokesman Sean Spicer had said the president was holding off “to make sure that when we execute this, it’s done in a manner that’s flawless.”
Trump’s initial order temporarily halting all entries into the US from seven Muslim-majority countries was blocked by a federal judge. Trump has vigorously criticised the decision.