Democrats Decry Spending Cuts in Trump’s 2026 Budget Proposal

The proposal seeks $163 billion in cuts to non-defense programs, a 22.6 percent decline from 2025. Many progressive policy initiatives would be eliminated.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) (C), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) (L) and fellow Democratic lawmakers mark the first 100 days of President Donald Trump's second term in the White House outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on April 30, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

WASHINGTON—Democrats expressed their objection to President Donald Trump’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal, criticizing the proposed big cuts to social spending programs.

The Trump administration on May 2 published an extract of the president’s recommendations to Congress for Fiscal Year 2026, which is the first step in the process of funding the government for that period.