Trump seeks to raise defence spending by $54bn

Washington, Feb 28: US President Donald Trump is seeking to increase defense spending by $54 billion, the White House revealed on Monday.

The money to boost the military build-up may come from deep cuts in almost every non-security category, including foreign aid and domestic discretionary programmes, according to White House officials.



"We will increase security and we will decrease lower-priority programmes. Most federal agencies will see a reduction as a result," the Washington Times newspaper quoted an Office of Management and Budget official seeking anonymity as saying.

The White House is scheduled to send its preliminary funding targets for 2018 to federal agencies.