Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) appeared to literally salivate over the Donald Trump administration’s $1.5 trillion 2027 military budget proposal during a Senate Budget Committee hearing. This is the first time in history that the Pentagon’s budget has crossed the $1 trillion mark, making it a historic moment for U.S. defense spending.
The defense spending plan was unveiled by Russell Vought, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), during his testimony on Capitol Hill. The proposal represents a 40% increase in defense spending, adding an extra $450 billion, while also cutting non-defense spending by 10%.
According to The Mirror US, Graham, who has been in Congress for more than three decades and describes himself as a “neoconservative warhawk,” could not hide his excitement. He was visibly enthusiastic as he addressed Vought, even literally licking his lips while delivering his praise.
Graham’s decades-long wish for a bigger military budget is close to fruition
“I do appreciate you sharing with us the president’s budget,” Graham said to Vought. He continued, “Great on defense. If you’re a guy like me, this is the budget you’ve been dreaming of… It’s the best military budget I’ve seen since I’ve been in Congress.” Graham has been in Congress since 1993, serving in the South Carolina House from 1993 to 1995, the U.S. House from 1995 to 2003, and the Senate from 2003 onwards.
The budget includes a $1.15 trillion base budget, plus an additional $350 billion in reconciliation funds. Vought explained that the reconciliation funds are designed to make sure the money “aren’t held hostage” during the appropriations process. Graham said the spending is “necessary, given the changing nature of war and how complex it is, with drones, AI and all that good stuff.” Vought agreed, saying the U.S. military needs to make “paradigm-shifting investments” in ships, planes, drones, and munitions.
Lindsey Graham salivates over Trump's proposed $1,500,000,000,000 military budget:
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) April 16, 2026
"If you're a guy like me, this is the budget you've been dreaming of… It's the best military budget I've seen since I've been in Congress" pic.twitter.com/1SyDKZENT4
According to AP News, the biggest increase within the budget goes to munitions, which saw a 188% jump in the FY27 proposal. This covers programs like PAC-3 interceptors, THAAD interceptors, Tomahawk cruise missiles, and AMRAAM air-to-air missiles.
This comes after reports that the U.S. military’s stockpile has significantly declined in recent years. Budget Director Vought stated that “President Trump promised to reinvest in America’s national security infrastructure, to make sure our nation is safe in a dangerous world.” This proposed spending surge has already sparked a fierce internal White House budget dispute between top officials.
It is worth noting that a president’s annual budget does not carry the force of law. Congress controls federal spending and is free to reject it. The document serves as a roadmap from the president to Congress as lawmakers work on their own budgets and appropriations bills.
Trump stated at a private White House event, “We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of day care. It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare – all these individual things. They can do it on a state basis. You can’t do it on a federal.”
Trump: We can't take care of daycare. We're a big country, we have 50 states, all these people, we're fighting wars. It's not possible for us to take care of daycare, Medicaid, Medicare, all these things pic.twitter.com/8rf8SzHeKT
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) April 1, 2026
On the non-defense side, the budget proposes a 13% increase for the Department of Justice, focused on violent criminals and what the White House calls “migrant crime.” It also cancels more than $15 billion from the Biden-era bipartisan infrastructure law, including funds for renewable energy and NOAA grants. Other cuts include a 19% reduction for the Department of Agriculture, a 13% cut for Housing and Urban Development, and about a 12% decrease for Health and Human Services.
Republican leaders on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, including Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), praised the defense request, saying “America is facing the most dangerous global environment since World War II.”
On the other side, Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania declared, “This budget represents ‘America Last.'” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) asked Vought if he was concerned the budget would “explode” the deficit, which already stands at $1.78 trillion according to the U.S. Treasury.
She later called the budget “morally bankrupt,” saying, “Trump wants to build a ballroom. I want to build more affordable housing, and only one of us sits on the Appropriations Committee.” Critics have also pointed to how U.S. weapons spending affects ordinary citizens, with 68,000 Americans dying each year amid ongoing debates over national priorities.
The administration is counting on the Republican-led Congress to pass the increased defense spending, with $1.1 trillion expected to go through regular appropriations and the remaining $350 billion through budget reconciliation, which only requires a simple party-line majority vote.
This arrives as the House and Senate remain at a standstill over current-year spending, with a partial government shutdown now at 49 days. Trump announced he would sign an executive order to pay all DHS workers who have gone without paychecks during the shutdown.
