Trump Budget to Focus Midterms Messaging on Defense Boost

US President Donald Trump speaks during an executive order signing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. Photographer: Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg

President Donald Trump is preparing to release a fiscal year 2027 budget plan on Friday that will frame his party’s midterm election message around a massive defense buildup, partially paid for by cuts to domestic agencies.

A governing vision that directs tax dollars to the Pentagon amid an unpopular Iran war represents a political risk for the White House, especially against a backdrop of spiking gasoline prices. Trump could also face resistance from within his own party over envisioned cuts to health and science agencies that Congress rejected last year on a bipartisan basis.