#^Trump’s New Budget Axes DEI and Education, Prioritizes Military and SpaceThe US federal government has released their topline budget, announcing $160 billion in funding cuts. A central pledge of Trump’s presidential campaign, echoed in his post-election executive orders, was to enhance federal efficiency and significantly reduce government expenditures.
It seems that this has been upheld after the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released Trump’s topline discretionary Budget for FY2026. While many areas of the federal government will see less money this year,
defence spending has seen a dramatic rise.
Director of OMB, Russ Vought, said in a
press release: “At this critical moment, we need a historic Budget — one that ends the funding of our decline, puts Americans first, and delivers unprecedented support to our military and homeland security. The President’s Budget does all of that.”
Understanding The Topline of Trump’s US Budget
The 23% cut, which equates to $163 billion, to federal agency’s wasn’t a big surprise.
Space Force recently spoke to upcoming budget cuts, NASA has seen a significant reduction in their funding, and the
Pentagon has been preparing for less capital since March. Not to mention, Elon Musk’s DOGE has been probing federal agencies since the republicans won the election.
However, the Pentagon’s prior preparations appear misplaced. OMB said: “[Trump’s budget] guts a weaponized deep state while providing historic increases for defence and border security.” In addition, air and rail safety, as well as infrastructure, law enforcement and veteran welfare will see an injection.
Today, we released President Trump's FY26 Discretionary Budget Request.
READ:
pic.twitter.com/SdOJCAAsb6 — Office of Management and Budget (@WHOMB) May 2, 2025
Yet, in spite of these increases, a range of areas have been stripped. Namely, DEI programs, foreign aid, and the Department of Education, which wasn’t surprising.
The topline budget also states foreign aid will be realigned to cement efficiency. Finally, the DoE will be shut down under Trump’s budget, with control relinquished to the state-level. OMB said this will “streamline K-12 education funding and promote parental choice.”
What Areas of Government Will See A Cash Injection?
While a significant amount of government spend has been axed, Trump’s budget does include $8 billion for NASA’s space exploration. Mainly, $7 billion for Lunar efforts and $1 billion for Mar’s aspirations. This is in spite of
dramatic cuts to NASA’s Artemis program and scrapping spacecraft including Gateway, Mars Sample Return and Space Launch System. We can’t forget to mention that preliminary budgets called for a
20% reduction to the space agency’s funding. Even NASA wasn’t immune to the
DEI and
climate research bombardment.
Outside of space, the topline budget also includes increased funding for skill-building programs, social security and healthcare. Equally, OMB has pledged funding towards fossil fuel, baseload power, and nuclear power. They have also rescinded $15 billion from eco-friendly energy projects. The effects of this pivot on climate change and carbon emissions is an area of concern.
Defence & Border Spending: Why Has Funding Increased?
It appears that Trump’s topline budget will see a significant increase in defence spending. A 13% incline, to be exact, in a bid to “rebuild our nation’s military.” According to OMB, the defence budget “prioritizes investments to strengthen the safety, security, and sovereignty of the homeland, deter Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific, and revitalize our defence industrial base.”
During Trump’s first term, building a wall to prevent illegal immigration was the talk of the town. In his second-term budget, immigration is again a major talking point. OMB will provide $500 million to border enforcement.
What Will Come From Trump’s Impending Budget
Currently, the US is in a precarious position. Trump’s disapproval ratings are sitting at 53%, according to
The Economist, with approval ratings hitting an 80-year low after 100 days in office, the
ABC reports. Right or wrong, the possibility of a trade war, tariffs and economic handling, as well as attacks on DEI, could be some of the reasoning behind Trump’s popularity dip. Nevertheless, what will come from the budget, both negative and positive, remains to be seen – especially when it comes to space and technology!
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Trump’s New Budget Axes DEI and Education, Prioritizes Military and Space appeared first on
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