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U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year in a letter to Congress on Friday, providing the clearest picture yet of what his administration will prioritize and putting some numbers on the large-scale slashing of the federal government<\/a> that he has overseen. The budget aims to cut $163 billion in nondefense spending, a 22.6 percent reduction from current levels, the letter said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s \u201cAmerica First\u201d agenda means that many of the biggest cuts impact U.S. foreign policy, particularly at the State Department<\/a> and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)<\/a>\u2014the latter of which Trump and his billionaire advisor Elon Musk<\/a> all but gutted. At the same time, Trump is allocating more than $113 billion to the Defense Department and $43.8 billion for the Department of Homeland Security to bolster Trump\u2019s border security proposals and controversial mass deportations<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year in a letter to Congress on Friday, providing the clearest picture yet of what his administration will prioritize and putting some numbers on the large-scale <\/span>slashing of the federal government<\/span><\/a> that he has overseen. The budget aims to cut $163 billion in nondefense spending, a 22.6 percent reduction from current levels, the letter said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Trump\u2019s \u201cAmerica First\u201d agenda means that many of the biggest cuts impact U.S. foreign policy, particularly at the <\/span>State Department<\/span><\/a> and the <\/span>U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)<\/span><\/a>\u2014the latter of which Trump and his <\/span>billionaire advisor Elon Musk<\/span><\/a> all but gutted. At the same time, Trump is allocating more than $113 billion to the Defense Department and $43.8 billion for the Department of Homeland Security to bolster Trump\u2019s border security proposals and <\/span>controversial mass deportations<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Defense spending overall would go up to $1.01 trillion, a 13 percent increase from 2025 levels.<\/span><\/p>\n The budget proposal\u2014which you can read in full <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>\u2014does not equal concrete policy and is still subject to approval (and adjustments) from Congress, but it serves as a key indicator of how Trump sees the United States\u2019 role in the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Under the new budget, the State Department and other international programs would take the biggest cut at a whopping <\/span>83.9 percent (<\/span>$49.1 billion). That includes a cut of $8.33 billion for development, democracy, and economic aid, which the administration describes as \u201chaving been funneled to radical, leftist priorities, including climate change, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and LGBTQ activities around the world.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Since Trump took office, the State Department has already frozen or slashed funding<\/a> for many of these programs. The budget also proposes a $3.2 billion cut in international disaster relief aid, which the administration describes as previously being at \u201cunaffordable levels.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Those are just two of 15 total cuts that the Trump administration is proposing to State Department and other international programs, with others affecting peacekeeping missions, educational and cultural exchanges, funding for the World Health Organization and other international organizations, and funding for the National Endowment for Democracy.<\/span><\/p>\n At the same time, the budget boosts spending in a couple of Trump-approved areas. It allocates $2.9 billion to an America First Opportunity Fund, which would \u201cfocus on strategic investments that make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.\u201d The description of the fund is vague but calls for supporting Jordan, India, and other \u201ccritical partners\u201d and countering \u201cChina and other near-peer rivals.\u201d The fund is described as one of the tools to replace traditional development aid.<\/span><\/p>\n It also allocates $2.82 billion for the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). Created by Congress in 2018 to counter China\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative, the DFC is essentially the United States\u2019 development bank. The budget request reflects the argument popular among many Republicans that the DFC will \u201creduce reliance on foreign aid.\u201d (Read <\/span>Foreign Policy<\/span><\/i>\u2019s coverage of the DFC at its five-year mark <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n Much of the proposed 13 percent increase in overall defense spending comes from $113 billion allocated directly to the Defense Department with a focus on U.S. shipbuilding, countering China\u2019s \u201caggression\u201d in the Indo-Pacific region, and creating a missile defense system dubbed the \u201cGolden Dome for America.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The budget does not provide a specific number for cuts to the Defense Department\u2019s budget, but says it \u201cends wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars on woke climate and DEI programs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The proposal allocates $43.8 billion to \u201cfully implement the President\u2019s mass removal campaign\u201d and finish construction of the border wall in the southwest, among other measures<\/span><\/p>\n It also cuts $491 million for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which the Trump administration says \u201cwas more focused on censorship than on protecting the Nation\u2019s critical systems.\u201d CISA is the primary U.S. cyberdefense agency, tasked with protecting U.S. elections and critical infrastructure from foreign adversaries such as China, Russia, and Iran.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The budget boosts funding by $134 million for fair trade. That includes new funding for anti-dumping investigations as well as $122 million for the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), a 50 percent increase, intended to protect U.S. technological competitiveness vs. China. That\u2019s a sharp reversal from the $20 million cut to BIS proposed by the Trump administration for fiscal year 2025, which represented a 12 percent reduction that Senate Democrats <\/span>expressed alarm<\/span><\/a> about given the agency\u2019s central role in enforcing export controls on technology\u2014including semiconductors.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n This post is part of FP\u2019s ongoing coverage of the Trump administration<\/i>. <\/i>Follow along here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\nState Department and USAID<\/h3>\n
\nDepartment of Defense<\/h3>\n
\nDepartment of Homeland Security<\/h3>\n
\nDepartment of Commerce<\/h3>\n
\nOther<\/h3>\n
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