Democrats fume at White House budget request: ‘Bleak and unacceptable’

Democrats on Friday blasted the White House’s fiscal 2027 budget request, warning that it fails to address the needs of Americans and undermines critical domestic programs and priorities.

The request, prepared by White House budget chief Russell Vought and unveiled Friday morning, calls for $1.5 trillion in defense spending, a roughly 42 percent increase from 2026 funding levels, that would replenish critical munitions and expand the defense industrial base, among other things. It comes as the U.S. war with Iran stretches to five weeks with no clear end in sight.

At the same time, it proposes cutting nondefense spending by $73 billion by eliminating what the White House deems “woke, weaponized, and wasteful programs” and “returning State and local responsibilities to their respective governments.”

Top Democrats on the House and Senate Appropriations and Budget committees quickly railed against the proposal.

“The vision President Trump has outlined for America in his budget is bleak and unacceptable. President Trump wants to slash medical research to fund costly foreign wars. It doesn’t get more backward than that, and the only responsible thing to do with a budget this morally bankrupt is to toss it in the trash,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, in a statement. 

“Imagine how many families we could help if, instead of giving the Pentagon more money than they can even figure out what to do with, we cut people’s heating bills in half and made child care affordable for every family in America,” she added. 

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, said the proposal is “dead on arrival,” arguing it is “just an out-of-touch plea for more money for guns and bombs, and less for the things people need, like housing, health care, education, roads, scientific research, and environmental protection.”

Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), the ranking member of the House Budget Committee, said the budget represents “America Last,” and added that he will be demanding answers from Vought, who is scheduled to testify before the House Budget Committee on April 15. 

While a president’s budget proposal is seen as more of a wish list than a bill that will be enacted, it serves as a statement of priorities and a roadmap for Republicans in Congress.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Trump’s budget is “rotten to the core” and vowed that Democrats will stand against it.

Republicans, meanwhile, have swiftly embraced Trump’s proposal, framing it as a fulfillment of key campaign promises.

“President Trump’s proposed budget for FY27 fulfills Republicans’ commitment to restore fiscal sanity, reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in Washington, make our streets and neighborhoods safe again, and further ignite the American dream. These are the things we ran on and that the American people voted for,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in a statement. 

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