President Donald Trump envisioned a drastic remaking of the US government in his budget request, dramatically curtailing domestic agencies, while boosting the military and border protection.
The White House’s fiscal year 2026 preliminary budget would cut discretionary spending by more than a quarter in five cabinet departments, while increasing the Department of Homeland Security’s budget by nearly 65%.
Deep Cuts Sought at Many Agencies, Gains for Defense
Proposed percentage change to discretionary budgets for 2026 fiscal year
Source: White House
The proposed budget — which rarely becomes reality — effectively serves as a vision board for what Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could do if they had free reign to slash federal spending.
While Congress has broad purview over the government budget, DOGE has moved quickly through federal departments outrunning the legal system as it seeks to eliminate functions and dismantle some agencies. Some changes have been reversed by the courts, but Musk’s teams have secured wins allowing them to effectively bypass Congress’ powers of the purse in some instances.
Even though DOGE won’t be able to unilaterally make many – if not most – of the cuts described in the so-called skinny budget, the proposal gives clues to how the government could shift during Trump’s remaining years as president. A White House budget official quipped they were “joined at the hip with DOGE” when unveiling the plan to reporters on Friday.
Trump’s fiscal wishlist calls for bolder cuts than the president recommended in 2017, his first year in the White House.
Trump Proposes Drastic Spending Changes Compared to His First Administration
Source: White House
Note: The 2017–2018 figure for NSF is based on Trump’s final budget proposal because it was not reported in the initial budget.
Trump – led by top advisors, including Office of Management and Budget’s Russell Vought – had four years while out of office to draft up a plan to remake the government in his own image. As a candidate, Trump derided the federal bureaucracy as the “deep state” and accused civil servants of undermining his agenda.
That desire to exert more control over the vast federal government and its workforce is manifesting as shrinking some of the agencies he has said are most hostile to him. In some cases the requests are multitudes larger than in his first term, including at the State Department where he on Friday proposed an 84% cut, compared to a 29% reduction in 2017.
Recommended budget cuts for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Environmental Protection Agency and National Science Foundation are similarly outsized, compared with his first administration.
In contrast, the White House proposed big budget boosts at the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security. If enacted, spending at those two departments would make up two-thirds of all discretionary funding, up from 57% this year.
Trump’s budget proposal also includes the elimination of 23 independent agencies, more than half of which he recommended closing in the first budget of his first term, too.
Trump Seeks to Eliminate Funding for 23 Independent Agencies
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Agency Trump first sought to eliminate in 2018 budget
400 Years of African American History Commission
◦ Develops and facilitates activities commemorating the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Africans in the English colonies.
Corporation for National and Community Service (AmeriCorps)
◦ Funds thousands of volunteer organizations across the country and runs AmeriCorps.
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
◦ Funds NPR, PBS and more than 1,500 local broadcast stations.
Delta Regional Authority
◦ Funds economic development projects for the lower Mississippi River and Alabama Black Belt regions.
Denali Commission
◦ Provides utilities, infrastructure and economic support in Alaska.
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
◦ Provides conflict resolution services, such as mediation, to private and public workers and employers.
Great Lakes Authority
◦ Promotes economic growth and recovery throughout the Great Lakes region.
Institute of Museum and Library Sciences
◦ Supports libraries and museums through research, policy development and grant-making.
Inter-American Foundation
◦ Provides grants to organizations for locally-led development in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Marine Mammal Commission
◦ Provides independent oversight of federal policies and actions concerning marine mammals.
National Endowment for the Arts
◦ Supports and funds grants for arts organizations.
National Endowment for the Humanities
◦ Funds grants to support research and education in humanities.
Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (NeighborWorks America)
◦ Assists organizations aimed at revitalizing communities and securing access to affordable housing.
Northern Border Regional Commission
◦ Promotes economic development in distressed counties near the Canadian border in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.
Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation (ONHIR)
◦ Provides services to eligible households of Navajo and Hopi families and others impacted by the relocation act.
Presidio Trust
◦ Oversees and manages the Presidio of San Francisco national park.
Southwest Border Regional Commission
◦ Provides federal grant funding to economically distressed communities in the Southwest region.
Southeast Crescent Regional Commission
Supports economic development in seven states.
US African Development Foundation
◦ Provides grants to groups and small businesses that help underserved communities in Africa.
US Agency for Global Media
◦ Oversees public service media networks that provide unbiased news and information in countries where the press is restricted.
US Institute of Peace
◦ Encourages confliction resolution and prevention through research, policy analysis, education, and training.
US Interagency Council on Homelessness
◦ Coordinates with federal agencies to prevent and end homelessness.
Woodrow Wilson Center
◦ A nonpartisan think tank that conducts and promotes research on national and world affairs.
The skinny budget is just the start. Trump must deliver a more detailed budget to Congress, where the plan is subject to review and input from lawmakers before being enacted.
With assistance from Gregory Korte Edited by Kate RabinowitzSarah HalzackLaura Davison
