Washington — Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat, voiced strong criticism on Sunday regarding the Trump administration’s proposed defense budget, calling the $1.5 trillion request “outrageous.”
In an appearance on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Kelly emphasized the need for a defense budget that aligns with current circumstances. “They need to submit a defense budget that makes sense for the moment we’re in,” he stated.
Last month, the administration unveiled its budget proposal for the fiscal year 2027. This document acts as a foundation for congressional discussions on annual expenditures and suggests a dramatic 42% increase in defense spending compared to 2026 levels.
Reflecting on his time in the Senate, Kelly remarked, “When I got to the Senate five and a half years ago, the defense budget was just over $700 billion. Now they’re asking for twice as much money — it’s nearly the amount that the rest of the world pays for its defense.”
As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Kelly expressed concerns over certain aspects of the budget proposal. The plan includes provisions for a troop pay raise and the resupply of essential munitions, but also allocates funds for the development of a space-based “Golden Dome” missile defense system, among other initiatives.
Kelly remained skeptical about this particular project, stating, “There’s stuff in there, like Golden Dome. The physics on that stuff is really, really hard. I’m very confident we’re going to spend a lot of money, we’re going to get a system that doesn’t work.”
Along with the budget request, the White House is expected to ask Congress for a supplemental spending package to cover the cost of the war with Iran. A Pentagon official said at a congressional hearings late last month that the cost of the war was about $25 billion. But U.S. officials familiar with internal assessments suggested at the time that the Iran war’s price tag could be closer to $50 billion.
Meanwhile, Kelly expressed concern about the state of the U.S.’ munitions stockpile amid the war with Iran, citing Pentagon briefings detailing specific munitions.
“I think it’s fair to say it’s shocking how deep we have gone into these magazines, because this president got our country into this without a strategic goal, without a plan, without a timeline,” Kelly said.
The Arizona Democrat said “because of that, we’ve expended a lot of munitions, and that means the American people are less safe.”
“Whether it’s a conflict in the western Pacific with China or somewhere else in the world, the munitions are depleted,” he said.
