House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said on Apr. 29 that President Trump’s $1.5 trillion budget request for the Department of Defense represents the first time in four decades that a proposed budget accounts for the full cost of American deterrence.
The topic is significant as it addresses how the United States will respond to increasing global threats and ensure national security by funding both military modernization and sustainment at levels not seen since World War II.
Rogers said, “For the first time in 40 years, we’ve been presented a budget that accounts for the true cost of American deterrence. This budget fully funds both sustainment and modernization.” He outlined concerns about adversaries such as China investing heavily in their militaries, with China announcing another seven percent increase in defense spending this year. Rogers added that U.S. defense spending as a percentage of gross domestic product has declined over time, while adversaries are now outspending America proportionally.
He detailed how underinvestment has affected U.S. military readiness: “Our Defense Industrial Base, long the envy of the world, has atrophied significantly. We are no longer capable of manufacturing for our warfighters at scale or speed.” The new proposal includes substantial increases across multiple categories: operation and maintenance up by 24 percent; core readiness programs up by 20 percent; facility repairs up by 115 percent; procurement up by 76 percent; research and development up by 64 percent; an increase in military end strength by 44,000 personnel; and a historic pay raise for servicemembers.
According to the official website, Rep. Mike Rogers served as chair of the House Armed Services Committee during recent congressional sessions, where notable members include Reps. Joe Wilson, Michael R. Turner and Robert J. Wittman. The committee oversees national defense programs including those related to the Armed Forces under U.S Code, influences legislation through processes like National Defense Authorization Act community project funding, operates under jurisdiction defined in Rule X for matters related to national defense, and falls under congressional oversight responsibilities.
Rogers concluded his statement with praise for service members’ performance during conflict with Iran: “Their tremendous work to achieve very clear military objectives…has given the President the opening he needs to negotiate a true and lasting peace that will ensure Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon.” He also emphasized continued vigilance: “It is critical we do not reduce deterrence as our allies ramp up their own capability.”