White House Will Unveil Trump's 2026 Budget, His First Since Returning To Power

The White House is planning on Friday to unveil President Donald Trump's 2026 budget, a sweeping framework that is expected to propose steep reductions, if not a wholesale zeroing out, of various federal programs as part of his administration's priorities.

Budgets do not become law but serve as a touchstone for the upcoming fiscal year debates. Often considered a statement of values, this first budget since Trump's return to the White House carries the added weight of defining the Republican president's second-term pursuits, alongside his party in Congress.

The White House's Office of Management and Budget, headed by Russell Vought, a chief architect of Project 2025 , confirmed Friday's planned release. It is expected to be the so-called 'skinny" version of topline numbers, with more details to come.

"Details soon," Vought said during a Cabinet meeting this week at the White House.

The nation's estimated 7 trillion-plus federal budget has been growing steadily, with annual deficits fast approaching 2 trillion and the annual interest on the debt almost 1 trillion. That's thanks mostly to the spike in emergency COVID-19 pandemic spending, changes in the tax code and climbing costs of Medicare, Medicaid and other programs, largely to cover the nation's health needs as people age. The nation's debt load, at 36 trillion , is ballooning.