After the Blue Wave, National Security Is on the Chopping Block

The Democrats will hold both the Senate and the House starting in January 2027, and President Donald Trump’s national security plans and programs will be prime targets for the new Congress. Although senators and representatives may prioritize defending the country, the visceral hatred many left-wing lawmakers have for the president may override their desire for a strong national defense. Anything Trump is for, they’re against. 

National Security a Target for Democrats

Many of the administration’s signature initiatives, like the US operations in the conflict with Iran, the $1.5 trillion FY2027 budget, Golden Dome for America, and the new military base, may be victims of the Democrats’ feelings for Trump. To be fair, even Republicans have reservations about the war with Iran and the $1.5 trillion budget ask, making the 120th Congress a real challenge for the administration and, in particular, the Department of War.

Democrats, who take control of Congress on January 3, 2027, have signaled they will go after US operations against Iran as an imperative. According to Foreign Policy: “Ahead of the midterms, top Democrats in Congress said that they would move to cut funding for the Iran war if they regained power.” Now they have.

As Foreign Policy observed, “Democrats will have control over the appropriations committees in both chambers and oversee the drafting of annual military and foreign aid spending bills. This far from guarantees that Democrats will get their way, but the power of the purse will grant them considerable influence and negotiating power.” 

There Will Be Oversight Committee Hearings

Additionally, the War Department can anticipate a plethora of oversight investigations into its strategy, decision-making, munitions inventories, and costs. With numerous and frequent hearings on Pentagon operations, Congress can easily disrupt policies and programs it finds objectionable.   

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As Democrats begin their scrutiny of the Trump War Department, one foundational target will be the money. It’s always about the money. In April, the White House submitted its defense budget request of $1.5 trillion, broken into two elements: a $1.15 trillion base discretionary spending budget and a $350 billion funding request through the budget reconciliation process. 

Base budgeting is the normal appropriations method that requires broader congressional scrutiny of the budget request. Budget reconciliation puts high-cost, high-priority programs into a process that can pass with a simple majority vote and is a faster way to fund them. It is particularly useful for the majority party, since votes are often along party lines.  

And that’s where the rub is for the Trump defense request: Republicans won’t have the majority. Unless they can push the reconciliation package through before the new Congress convenes on January 3, it is unlikely to pass. That’s bad news for major programs like Golden Dome for America (the ballistic missile, drone, and cruise missile defense shield), the Golden Fleet initiative (the US Navy’s new shipbuilding program), and the industrial-base expansion, all of which are part of the reconciliation package.

New Base Initiative in Jeopardy

Another War Department program likely to experience budgetary headwinds is the “Next Great American Base” initiative, which would create a new hardened, joint-service installation capable of accommodating 15,000 to 25,000 personnel. The plan is for the base to support autonomous combat strike capability, directed-energy weapons, and hypersonic missiles. The new base would be powered by an on-site nuclear micro-reactor, making it independent of local civilian grids. 

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The initiative will be very expensive and requires major military construction appropriations that a Democratic Congress can delay or refuse to fund. The Pentagon plans to pick a location for the new base by June 2027. According to Breaking Defense: “The Pentagon wants to select a location for a new military base by June of next year based on four key metrics, and is asking states to submit their broad plans by Dec. 1, the senior official in charge of the effort told Breaking Defense this week.” The key metrics are land availability, personnel and operational capacity, energy and water self-sufficiency, and public-private partnership financing. With a Democrat-controlled Congress, all bets are off on meeting the June 2027 milestone.

The bottom line is that President Trump retains command of the military and can move forward with executive-level reforms. However, the $1.5 trillion topline request is unlikely to be sustained, and significant budgetary accommodations will be needed. Those allowances may entail curtailing or canceling big-ticket items. 

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 The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.