Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, of the Senate Committee on Appropriations said Friday she has “serious objections” to The senator said in a statement the proposal for the discretionary spending budget, which the White House released earlier in the day, was late to Congress with key details missing. The plan contains a request for more than $892 billion in base discretionary funding for the Department of Defense, the same amount granted for fiscal year 2025. It also includes the elimination of some federal programs and funding cuts to others.
“Based on my initial review, however, I have serious objections to the proposed freeze in our defense funding given the security challenges we face and to the proposed funding cuts to – and in some cases elimination of – programs like [the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program], TRIO, and those that support biomedical research,” Chair Collins wrote. “Ultimately, it is Congress that holds the power of the purse.” The senator’s counterpart in the House of Representatives, Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., of the Committee on Appropriations, called Trump’s proposal a “clear starting point for the budget process.” Chair Cole said in a statement the House committee is prepared to “do the hard work – line by line – to uphold fiscal discipline and effective governance.” “Our FY26 process will target resources where they are needed most, reinforce the safety and security of the American people, and invest in high-impact missions,” the congressman said. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., added in a post on social media platform X that Republicans in the chamber are ready to work with Trump to implement a “responsible” budget that “puts America first.” “This proposal promises the American people that their government is finally listening, leading with commonsense, and restoring the principles of good governance,” Speaker Johnson wrote.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., disagrees. He said in a post with an image of news coverage on the budget that the president's policies are “nothing short of an all out assault on hardworking Americans.” “As he guts healthcare, slashes education, and hollows out programs families rely on—he’s bankrolling tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. It’s not just fiscally irresponsible, it’s a betrayal of working people from a morally bankrupt president,” Minority Leader Schumer wrote.
“Democrats are going to fight this heartless budget with everything we’ve got and if Congressional Republicans actually cared about American families, they’d join us.” In a letter to Chair Collins, Director Russell Vought of the Office of Management and Budget said the proposal is for the purpose of balancing the budget and restoring confidence in the government's fiscal management. Have questions, concerns or tips? Send them to Ray at .
