Top Senate Republicans Question White House’s $1 Trillion 2026 Defense Budget Proposal

Senator Roger Wicker opposes what the White House saw when cutting the defensive budget for the settlement bill.

On May 2, the White House shared its $1 trillion military budget proposal for 2026, with some Congressional Republicans saying the funds aren’t perfectly suited.

Las Vault, White House executives and budget director, wrote to Sen. Susan Collins (R Maine), who decided on the 2026 budget. Vought told Senate Budget Committee Chairman Collins that the plan provided a 13% increase in the military budget, bringing the total to $1.01 trillion.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chairman of the Senate’s Armed Services Committee, quickly challenged Vought’s budget.

“The (Office of Management and Budget) is not asking for a $1 trillion budget, which is asking for a $89.26 billion budget.

The White House has reached a $1 trillion defense budget by combining this $89.26 billion budget request for fiscal year 2026 with the $119.3 billion budget request, part of the Supplementary Defense Expenditure Plan, which is currently moving forward as a settlement bill through Congress.

Wicker said it’s not a plan he wants to see through the reconciliation process.

“The big and beautiful settlement bill was intended to fundamentally change the Pentagon’s orientation towards programs such as Golden Dome, border support, and unmanned capabilities. It could not be a paperback around Omboo’s intention to be silent in support of its military capabilities and service members,” he said.

The spending plan comes from the White House, but Wicker throws the proposal as conflicting with Trump’s true intentions.

“President Trump has succeeded in peace through his strength agenda, but his advisors to the Office of Management and Budget were clearly not heard,” Wicker wrote.

Wicker said more military funds are needed to ensure that Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping “will not launch a military war against us in Asia.” He also raised concerns about existing security challenges from countries such as Russia and Iran, as well as Hamas and the Houtis. A terrorist group based in Gaza and Yemen, respectively.

Collins also expressed disapproval of the White House plan.

“This request has come late to Congress and important details remain unresolved. However, given the security challenges we face, based on my initial review, there is serious objection to the proposed freeze in our defense funds,” Collins said in a statement Friday.

Beyond military spending, Collins also raised opposition to the White House plan, cutting funds or completely eliminated other programs, including low-income Housing Energy Assistance Programs, the Department of Education trio program, and other programs related to biomedical research.

The White House, which introduced its budget plan on Friday, proposed the lowest level of non-defensive spending since 2017, “achieving savings by eliminating radical diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) and key race theory programs, green fraud funds, and the large federal swaths that attacked Americans with weapons, making them suitable for the region suitable for the region.”

Under the White House plan, the Department of Homeland Security will receive 65% funding. The White House said the increase would “help to ensure that the military and other agencies that repel invasions at our borders have the resources needed to complete the mission.”

The Epoch Times contacted the White House for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.