After ordering the U.S. military to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and claiming that the U.S. will “run” the South American country, President Trump announced that he believes the 2027 U.S. military budget should be raised from $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion. Trump said the additional $500 billion will allow the federal government to “build the ‘Dream Military’ that we have long been entitled to” and “keep us SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe.”
Trump claimed the “tremendous income” from the tariffs that he has imposed and raised will enable the government “to easily hit the $1.5 Trillion Dollar number…at the same time, pay down Debt.”
GOP Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) responded to Trump’s announcement by asking Americans: “Does your family want to pay the federal government another $5,000 per year? $500 billion across 350 million people is $5,000 for every 3.5 people.”
Does your family want to pay the federal government another $5,000 per year?
$500 billion across 350 million people is
$5,000 for every 3.5 people. pic.twitter.com/BzWNhQLYS8— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) January 9, 2026
More than one X account suggested auditing the military and others, including the Libertarian Party of Tennessee, suggested that the Trump administration will simply print more money in order to cover the $500 billion.
As LPT wrote: “Let’s be real here. They’re just gonna print more money to fund it.”
Note: According to Military.com, in December, “the U.S. Department of War failed its department-wide financial audit for the eighth consecutive year, underscoring long-standing challenges in tracking how the nation’s largest federal budget is managed.” Defense officials have reported that the Pentagon aims to pass a full audit by 2028.