GOP pushes $150B boost for defense, eyeing SpaceX role
Republican congressmen are preparing to present a new proposal that will increase the United States defense budget by $150 billion, Reuters reports. This funding is intended to be allocated, among other things, for the construction of the Golden Dome air defense system and 14 ships.
The proposal is set to be presented in Congress on Friday evening, Republican Senator Roger Wicker told Reuters. According to the agency, the document suggests increasing this year's defense budget, which already totals $886 billion, by an additional $150 billion.
Of this amount, $27 billion is earmarked for the Golden Dome, a new missile defense system announced by President Donald Trump. Trump described a potential missile attack as "the most catastrophic threat" to the country and commissioned the development of a system resembling the Israeli Iron Dome air defense system, which would ensure the protection of the entire U.S. territory against any aerial attacks—including those using drones, cruise missiles, and hypersonic missiles.
$29 billion is planned for the construction of 14 ships and a "historic" investment in unmanned ships. Meanwhile, $20 billion will be allocated for the production of new ammunition, expansion of the domestic supplier base, and replenishment of critical mineral reserves.
The new proposal also focuses on strengthening the U.S. military presence, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. "Strength, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, will make China less eager to break the status quo, which has led to a vast global prosperity among people who’ve never had it before. This is part of a plan to prevent war," said Roger Wicker to Reuters.
Musk's company has high chances for a government contract?
Last week, Reuters, citing unofficial sources, reported that Elon Musk's company, SpaceX, along with two partnering companies, Palantir and Anduril, is at the forefront of contenders to secure a contract within the Golden Dome system.
The founders of all three companies provided significant political support to Trump, Reuters noted, adding that despite the positive signals received by SpaceX, the decision-making process regarding the Golden Dome is still in its early stages and nothing is yet determined. Within Donald Trump's administration, Elon Musk heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and formally serves as an advisor to Trump.
The agency has learned that representatives of these three companies met in recent weeks with senior officials of the American administration, including those from the Pentagon, to present a project involving the construction and deployment of 400 to 1,000 satellites for missile detection and tracking. Additionally, 200 other satellites equipped with missiles and lasers capable of striking hostile objects would be developed, Reuters reported, citing information obtained from three sources. It is expected that the SpaceX group will not be involved in arming the satellites, these sources said.
