President Trump's Fiscal Year Discretionary Funding Request

Key Chapter Title List

1. Supporting Spaceflight
2. Table 1: Proposed FY 2026 Request by Discretionary Category
3. Table 2: FY 2026 Discretionary Funding Request by Major Agency

Document Introduction

This report is based on the FY 2026 federal government discretionary funding request document submitted by the Trump administration, aiming to analyze the strategic priorities and policy directions of its budget allocation. Against the backdrop of an overall reduction in discretionary spending compared to FY 2025, this budget request makes significant investments in defense, homeland security, and specific strategic areas, while implementing substantial cuts to a large number of non-defense departments and programs. This clearly reflects the current administration's prioritization within a framework of fiscal austerity.

The core structure of the budget request revolves around base discretionary funding and includes a non-base funding component. According to the document data, the total discretionary funding request for FY 2026 (including reconciliation resources) is $1.691 trillion, a decrease of $139.9 billion (7.6%) from FY 2025. This overall reduction is primarily achieved through significant cuts to non-defense base spending (-22.6%) and non-base funding (-64.2%). Meanwhile, defense base spending remains unchanged. When factoring in the additional resources expected to be provided through a subsequent reconciliation bill, total defense spending (including the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration) will increase by 13.4%, reaching approximately $1,011.9 billion. The budget request for the Department of Homeland Security shows a particularly notable increase, growing by 64.9% after including reconciliation resources, highlighting the priority of issues such as border security.

The space exploration domain is imbued with a clear strategic competition narrative. The budget request refocuses National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) funding on the goals of defeating China in the moon race and landing the first humans on Mars. To this end, the budget allocates over $7 billion for lunar exploration and adds a $1 billion investment for Mars-focused programs. To achieve these goals and uphold fiscal responsibility, the budget plans to streamline the NASA workforce, information technology services, and center operations, terminate several unaffordable missions, and cut lower-priority research. This results in an overall 24.3% reduction in NASA's science program budget, presenting a leaner profile.

The budget request's allocation of funds to major federal agencies shows a distinct pattern of selective increases and decreases. Apart from the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (which sees a 17.3% increase when considering the Toxic Exposures Fund), most non-defense departments face cuts. Among them, the State Department and International Programs funding request is cut by 83.7% (or 47.7% when excluding rescissions and cancellations), the Environmental Protection Agency by 54.5%, the National Science Foundation by 55.8%, Housing and Urban Development program levels by 43.6%, the Department of Health and Human Services by 26.2%, and the Department of Education by 15.3%. The Department of Transportation is one of the few non-defense departments receiving a slight increase (+5.8%).

In summary, this FY 2026 budget request is a policy document embodying the dual logics of strategic focus and fiscal austerity. Through the reallocation of resources, it places great power competition (particularly evident in space and defense) and border security above domestic social welfare and scientific research investment in terms of priority. Its final implementation will depend on the outcomes of congressional review and political negotiation. This analysis is strictly based on the original data and policy statements within the budget document, providing a quantitative basis for understanding the potential policy directions of the United States in the upcoming fiscal year.