President Donald Trump’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal calls for $163 billion in sweeping cuts across the federal government, earning praise from House Republicans crafting this year’s appropriations bills. While not a finalized plan, the 46-page proposal reflects conservative priorities long championed by the GOP, including cuts to abortion providers, climate spending, and gender ideology programs.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., called the proposal “a clear starting point” as lawmakers work to assemble 12 annual funding bills before the current government funding expires on September 30. The budget follows a year marked by stopgap measures rather than a formal Fiscal Year 2025 budget.
Highlights of Trump’s proposal include:
- $18 billion in cuts to NIH programs promoting gender ideology and race-based research
- $15 billion in rollbacks to renewable energy and climate initiatives launched under the Biden administration
- $6.2 billion in cuts to global family planning, targeting pro-abortion foreign programs
- $3.5 billion in cuts to “duplicative and woke” CDC programs
- $2.4 billion in reduced EPA water infrastructure funds, pushing responsibility to states
- $2.4 billion in cuts to the IRS
- $468 million in cuts to gun control enforcement at the ATF
- $1.9 billion in cuts to refugee and unaccompanied minor programs, cited as enablers of human trafficking
Additional cuts target TSA, FBI, and substance abuse programs criticized for lack of accountability or effectiveness. Trump’s budget also eliminates funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, framing them as ideological distractions from core government responsibilities.
House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, called the proposal “a battle plan for restoring economic freedom and fiscal sanity.”
Democrats responded with alarm. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., labeled the proposal “a disaster,” warning that cuts to renewable energy could threaten public health and safety. He accused Trump of continuing “his relentless assault” on agencies tasked with protecting Americans.
As Republican appropriators weigh which proposals to advance before the September deadline, Trump’s budget serves as a roadmap for a leaner, more ideologically aligned federal government.
