Trump aims to raise military spending in budget, not touch Social Security or Medicare

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last updated 27 February 2017

In planning the federal budget proposal, President Trump is asking agencies to raise military spending, cut back on domestic programs, and not touch entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare, Politico reports.

"We will be substantially upgrading all of our military, all of our military, offensive, defensive, everything. Bigger and better and stronger than ever before," Trump promised the audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday. "And hopefully we'll never have to use it, but nobody's going to mess with us, folks. Nobody." The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reports that the U.S. spends more on the military than the next seven countries in the world combined.

Increases are planned specifically for defense, homeland security, intelligence, the Department of Justice, and law enforcement, an administration official told Politico. "Dollar for dollar cuts" are expected elsewhere. As for Social Security and Medicare, "don't expect to see that as part of this budget," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said. "We are very focused on other aspects and that's what's very important to us." The White House is expected to send its targets to the agencies on Monday.