Washington’s latest budget blueprint, dropped on April 16, 2025, is a gut-punch to domestic programs and a big high-five to the Pentagon. The White House is pushing a plan that carves $163 billion out of non-defense spending next year—a 23% cut that’ll leave programs like energy assistance and public health research scraping by. Meanwhile, military spending’s getting a $1 trillion shot in the arm, up 13% from last year’s numbers. It’s a move that’s got the Capitol buzzing and critics sharpening their pencils.
The cuts hit hard. Low-income families relying on the Home Energy Assistance Program? They’re losing $4 billion. The National Institutes of Health? Sliced by $18 billion. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention takes a $3.5 billion hit. These aren’t just numbers—they’re programs that keep lights on, fund cancer research, and track disease outbreaks. The budget also takes an axe to non-defense discretionary spending, dropping it to levels not seen since 2017. It’s a lean diet for everything from education to infrastructure.
On the flip side, the Pentagon’s eating well. The $1 trillion defense budget isn’t just a number—it’s a 13% jump that’ll pour cash into new weapons, troop readiness, and whatever else the military brass dreams up. Homeland security’s also getting a boost, with a $43 billion increase that’s nearly a 65% leap from 2025’s enacted levels. Border security’s a big winner here, with $175 billion earmarked to lock down the southern front. Charter schools get a nod too, with extra funding tucked into the plan.
This budget’s not law—Congress will have its say, and White House proposals often get shredded on the Hill. But it’s a clear signal of priorities: guns over butter, security over social programs. The plan’s got defenders who call it fiscal discipline, pointing to the defense and border boosts as long-overdue. Others see it as a deficit balloon, especially with $670 million chopped from IRS funding, which could kneecap revenue collection.
The numbers are stark. Non-defense spending faces a 22.6% cut. Defense gets a 13% raise. Homeland security’s budget soars. And the deficit? It’s set to grow, with no net savings from the cuts, as every dollar trimmed from domestic programs gets funneled right back into military and border priorities. That’s the math, straight from the White House’s own pages, laid bare for lawmakers to wrestle with.