U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has released a statement following the announcement of the fiscal year 2026 budget proposal by the White House. Senator Wicker criticized the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for its approach to defense funding.
In his statement, Wicker remarked, “President Trump successfully campaigned on a Peace Through Strength agenda, but his advisers at the Office of Management and Budget were apparently not listening.” He expressed concern over the defense budget proposal, which he said reflects a pattern consistent under Biden administration funding, leading to flat military spending, “which is a cut in real terms.”
The Senator criticized the budget proposal, terming it inconsistent with the intended goals of what he referred to as the “Big, Beautiful Reconciliation Bill.” According to Wicker, the bill aimed to fundamentally alter Pentagon programs, such as Golden Dome, border support, and unmanned capabilities. Instead, he asserted that the proposal plans to “paper over OMB’s intent to shred to the bone our military capabilities and our support to service members.”
Wicker pointed out that “OMB is not requesting a trillion-dollar budget. It is requesting a budget of $892.6 billion, which is a cut in real terms.” He warned that the proposed budget would reduce President Trump’s military options and negotiating power, amid tensions with “an Axis of Aggressors led by the Chinese Communist Party.” Wicker emphasized the need for a robust “Peace Through Strength agenda to ensure Xi Jinping does not launch a military war against us in Asia.”
He concluded his statement by asserting, “I have said for months that reconciliation defense spending does not replace the need for real growth in the military’s base budget. That is what I will work to achieve in Congress with President Trump and Secretary Hegseth to implement the President’s Peace Through Strength agenda.”
