Politics
Trump is proposing big budget cuts — except for defense and the border
Updated May 2, 20251:45 PM ET
Originally published May 2, 20258:54 AM ET
Danielle Kurtzleben
Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on April 30, 2025.
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Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
President Trump is proposing $163 billion in cuts to non-defense discretionary spending for the 2026 fiscal year in what's known as a "skinny budget" — a summary of what the White House would like to see Congress do when it determines government spending.
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Trump's proposals cover spending that Congress authorizes each year — which does not include spending on safety nets like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. The administration's full budget including all spending and revenue projections will follow in coming months. The cuts represent an overall 22.6% cut in projected spending for the current fiscal year, though there are big increases proposed for defense and border security. Some of the biggest cuts would be to the EPA and National Science Foundation Big targets include foreign aid, climate funding and any spending on programs deemed to promote what the Trump administration calls "wokeism."
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The proposal comes after the White House and the cost-cutting project known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Elon Musk, have already made dramatic cuts to spending and personnel at an array of agenci es.
A report on cost cuts made by what's known as the Department of Government Efficiency on the Cabinet Room table at the White House on April 30, 2025.
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Jim Watson/AFP
"We're joined at the hip with DOGE. We have a very close partnership with them," a senior White House official told reporters on a conference call, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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The budget proposes cuts of more than 50% at the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Science Foundation. In addition, it would cut $2.5 billion in spending by the Internal Revenue Service. Education funding would be cut by 15%. But the official told reporters that Head Start funding for early child care was preserved. The blueprint also proposes zeroing out several government agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and AmeriCorps. But there's a 13% hike for defense spending, and a 65% jump for border security at the Department of Homeland Security. These increases would be paid for in a massive spending package Republicans are working on through a process known as reconciliation. Presidential budgets are wish lists. But Trump's may hold more weight Under the Constitution, Congress has the power of the purse. But the president is required by law to send lawmakers a budget proposal each year. The proposal is not binding — it's more of a list of the president's policy priorities, with price tags attached. That means Congress does not have to abide by what a president wants.
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"Nearly all of these cuts are dead on arrival in Congress," said Jessica Riedl, a budget expert at the right-leaning Manhattan Institute. "But this may provide a roadmap for where DOGE will go in the next year. If the president can't get this through Congress, he may do as much as possible through executive orders and DOGE." Trump not only has Republican majorities in both houses — albeit slim majorities — but he also has a stranglehold on the GOP. While Congress may not pass his budget, most Republicans have not openly objected to DOGE's drastic changes to spending.
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But the White House is also not ruling out using what's known as impoundment to overrule Congress' spending decisions. It has argued that a 1974 law requiring presidents to spend money as Congress directs is unconstitutional.
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