Democrats are getting more comfortable saying ‘no’ to the Pentagon, eroding a long-standing bipartisan tradition of supporting ever-larger defense budgets.
The shift is showing up across Capitol Hill as Democrats mobilize a midterm message that casts President Donald Trump’s priorities as out of step with voters’ needs. On Tuesday, progressive Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts unveiled legislation that would cap the fiscal 2027 defense budget at $750 billion — days after his primary challenger, Rep. Seth Moulton, a Marine veteran and House Armed Services Committee member, proposed cutting $150 billion from the House defense bill.
“Trump is pushing for painful cuts to health care, to education, to housing programs,” Markey, flanked by antiwar advocates, said Tuesday at a press conference. “We must turn that formula in our country upside down. Year after year, military spending continues to increase, while investments in working and middle-class people are being denied.”