Trump proposes steep cuts in first budget request of second term

President Trump unveiled the White House budget request for fiscal 2026 on Friday, a set of proposals that would make steep cuts to nondefense programs.

In a letter to Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine), Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought announced that the president’s budget would reduce base nondefense discretionary budget authority by 22.6 percent, cutting spending levels by $163 billion.

For defense spending, the administration proposes to increase funding by 13 percent, bringing the total to just more than $1 trillion. Vought also touted what he called a “historic” investment of $175 billion in funding for the Department of Homeland Security to implement Trump’s mass deportations and plans to secure the border.

The budget would protect funding for homeland security, veterans, seniors, law enforcement and infrastructure, Vought said.

The proposal is Trump's first budget of his second term, which eclipsed its 100th day earlier this week.

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