Amna Nawaz
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WATCH: Sen. Merkley on what's missing from Trump's budget request in hearing with OMB chief Vought
Posted
April 16, 2026
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April 16, 2026
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1:32Now PlayingSen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, made an opening statement Thursday in a hearing with Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, on President Donald Trump’s 2027 budget request.
Merkley said he was “struck” by what didn’t appear in the president’s budget proposal.
“What's missing in this budget? No plan to bring down gas prices. No plan to bring down grocery prices. Nothing on Social Security, even though we are just six years out from exhausting the Social Security Trust Fund,” the senator said. “No funding for aid to farmers hurt by Trump's tariffs. No additional funding to deal with unexpected disasters despite the enormous increase in wildfires, floods, and hurricanes. No credible plan to reduce the debt after adding $30 trillion last year.”
Vought, a key figure in the Trump administration's efforts to shrink the federal workforce, also defended the president's budget request in a House hearing Wednesday.
Trump's funding wish list for fiscal year 2027 includes a staggering bump for defense spending — a nearly 50% increase to $1.5 trillion — to build his "dream military."
The president's budget request is not final, but it does signal the Trump administration's priorities for the coming fiscal year. Though Trump has tried to exert more authority over spending in his second term, it's up to both chambers to revise and approve the final budget in the coming months.
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