White House requests $1.5 trillion for defense spending in 2027 budget

NPR | By Danielle Kurtzleben ,

Steve Inskeep

Published April 3, 2026 at 10:48 AM EDT

President Trump released his budget request for 2027 on Friday, asking for $1.5 trillion in defense spending.

Tags

Morning Edition

Danielle Kurtzleben

Danielle Kurtzleben is a political correspondent assigned to NPR's Washington Desk. She appears on NPR shows, writes for the web, and is a regular on The NPR Politics Podcast. She is covering the 2020 presidential election, with particular focuses on on economic policy and gender politics.

See stories by Danielle Kurtzleben

Steve Inskeep

Steve Inskeep is a host of NPR's Morning Edition, as well as NPR's morning news podcast Up First.

See stories by Steve Inskeep

More Stories

Hegseth ousts the Army chief of staff

Steve Inskeep

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asked Army Chief of Staff Randy George to step down and retire. NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with The Atlantic's Nancy Youssef.
Trump removes Pam Bondi as attorney general

Carrie Johnson, Steve Inskeep

President Trump announced Thursday that Pam Bondi will no longer serve as attorney general. Her departure comes amid frustration over her leadership and handling of the Epstein files.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., on the future of the Epstein inquiry with Bondi's ousting

A Martínez

NPR's A Martinez asks Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California about the future of the House Oversight Committee's Epstein inquiry, now that Attorney General Pam Bondi is out.
Verdicts against Meta and Google may bring a new era of big tech accountability

Shannon Bond

Advocates hope recent verdicts against social media platforms will build momentum for bigger changes in Silicon Valley.
NASA's Artemis II has left Earth's orbit, and 4 astronauts now head to the moon

Nell Greenfieldboyce

With the last major firing of its engine, the Artemis II spacecraft is now on a path that will take it around the moon and back.