Earlier this month, President Donald Trump released his fiscal 2027 budget. Like all presidential budgets, it serves primarily as a signal of priorities to Congress. But even as a signal, this one is notable for its scope and direction.

The proposal combines significant spending restraint with targeted investments in core federal responsibilities, building on nearly $2 trillion in savings while maintaining funding for border security, immigration enforcement, and law enforcement, and calling for a major reinvestment in national defense. It scales back programs the administration views as outside the federal government’s proper role, including environmental justice initiatives, climate subsidies, and diversity and gender programs, while reducing non-defense discretionary spending by roughly 10%.