Trump Budget Spends Big on Bombs and Mars While Telling Americans to Skip Dinner and Get a Job

President Donald Trump’s newly unveiled budget blueprint for fiscal year 2026 paints a clear picture of where the administration’s priorities lie: a trillion-dollar military, space exploration, border walls, and very little left over for public health, education, housing, or climate.

Unapologetically titled a “skinny budget,” the plan carries the weight of an obese defense apparatus and a malnourished civilian infrastructure. It proposes a $1 trillion defense budget — the largest in American history — while reducing or outright eliminating dozens of social safety net programs and public services.

The message is as plain as the spreadsheet: Buckle up for more bombs and fewer books, more missiles and less medicine.

Despite being just a blueprint, the White House has already begun pushing lawmakers to incorporate these ideas into the upcoming reconciliation bill, bypassing bipartisan negotiation and all but daring Democrats to object.

At the same time, the administration is trying to convince Americans that this is about trimming bureaucracy and restoring order. In reality, it’s a “Make America Broke Again” manifesto with a $175 billion cherry on top to militarize the southern border.

Among the most jaw-dropping numbers in the budget: a 13 percent increase to defense, bringing the total to $1 trillion; a $163 billion cut to non-defense discretionary spending, slashing that side of the budget by nearly 23 percent; and the near-eradication of support for education, foreign aid, environmental policy, and basic health services.

To prepare the plan, the administration worked closely with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency — or DOGE, a government agency that has so far proven more effective at eliminating employees than actually making anything efficient. DOGE’s fingerprints are everywhere in this budget, from slashing health agencies to eliminating entire departments.

“This is a pretty historic effort to deal with the bureaucracy,” said a senior administration official on Friday. “We believe it’s a joint project,” they added, proudly describing a vision of government stripped down to something that looks more like a weapons manufacturer’s catalog than a functioning democracy.

Here’s what Americans will lose so that the Pentagon can get more toys and Elon Musk can get more satellites.

Education and Student Support

The Department of Education would see its budget cut by 15 percent, or about $12 billion. Multiple K-12 and higher education programs would be consolidated or outright eliminated.

A new $2 billion formula grant would replace 18 existing programs, including those aimed at underserved and special needs populations. Seven separate programs for students with disabilities would be folded into one, with fewer dollars and less oversight.

Howard University, the country’s only federally chartered historically Black college, would lose $64 million. The budget also proposes cuts to TRIO, a longstanding program providing academic assistance to low-income and first-generation college students.

Public Health and Medical Research

Under the new proposal, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would see its budget slashed by more than half, dropping from $9 billion to $4 billion. Programs addressing infectious disease, opioids, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections would see their collective budgets cut from $1.3 billion to just $300 million.

The National Institutes of Health would lose nearly $18 billion in funding. Four of its research institutes — focused on minority health, global health, integrative health, and nursing — would be eliminated entirely. This comes after the administration already removed their directors and froze hundreds of grants.

Housing and Rental Assistance

In one of the budget’s more dramatic proposals, the Department of Housing and Urban Development would be gutted, with a plan to eliminate over $26 billion from rental assistance programs, including Section 8 housing vouchers.

More than 2.3 million families currently rely on this program. The administration says states can manage housing better and suggests a two-year cap for able-bodied adults receiving aid.

The HOME program, which offers loans to increase affordable housing, would be wiped out entirely. The administration also proposes ending funding to nonprofit organizations working on fair housing issues.

Climate and Environmental Programs

The Environmental Protection Agency’s climate and environmental justice research budget would be slashed by $235 million. NASA’s Earth science research would lose key funding, including the cancellation of climate-monitoring satellite projects.

NOAA would see its climate research budget reduced, and remaining funding would be refocused on weather, not climate — because apparently hurricanes are more politically palatable than global warming.

The Department of Energy would lose $2 billion from its office focused on energy efficiency and renewables. A bipartisan infrastructure law passed in 2021 had included $15 billion for EV chargers; this budget seeks to eliminate most of that.

International Engagement and Foreign Aid

The State Department would see an 84 percent budget cut compared to last year, including a $1.6 billion cut to Food for Peace and $3 billion less in disaster aid.

The National Endowment for Democracy, often targeted by both Trump and Musk, would be eliminated. Funding for UN peacekeeping operations would be cut by over $1.5 billion.

Smaller Agencies? Gone.

More than a dozen small but culturally significant agencies would be eliminated entirely, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, AmeriCorps, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the U.S. Institute of Peace. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting would also vanish under this plan.

Programs for Seniors and the Vulnerable

The budget would eliminate the $4 billion Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), claiming it mostly benefits utilities. Job Corps, a program helping low-income youth train for employment, would also be shuttered. The Senior Community Service Employment Program, aimed at helping older Americans find work, would be axed too.

But Wait, There’s Plenty of Money for This

While slashing all of the above, Trump’s budget still finds billions for select priorities:

• A $500 million boost for HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign, which will focus on nutrition, physical activity, and reducing the use of medication — despite cutting funding for disease prevention.

• $13.8 billion for the FAA to hire air traffic controllers and modernize systems — a rare area where both parties agree improvements are needed.

• $5 billion to upgrade U.S. airspace infrastructure, including radar systems.

• $2.9 billion for the “America First Opportunity Fund” to counter China and support allies like India and Jordan.

• $1 billion for Mars exploration and $7 billion for the moon, part of a total $8 billion human spaceflight package.

• $500 million to expand charter schools — up $60 million from last year.

Reactions? As Expected

Democrats pounced immediately. Senator Patty Murray said the plan would “set our country back decades” and “decimate investments to help families afford the basics.” Republicans were split. Senator Susan Collins blasted cuts to education, housing, and research, calling them “serious objections.” Senator Roger Wicker, meanwhile, fumed that the military wasn't getting enough.

The administration insists it is Congress’s turn to adjust the numbers. As one official said, “Ultimately, it is Congress that holds the power of the purse.” But if this budget is a message about priorities, then the message is clear: bombs and space rockets come first. Books, housing, science, and meals for seniors can wait.