Trump to seek hike in defense, security spending in first budget

WASHINGTON. KAZINFORM President Donald Trump plans an increase in defense spending in his budget for the fiscal year that starts in October, while cutting funding for the State Department and other federal agencies, the White House said Monday, Agencia EFE reports.

Trump will ask for an increase of $54 billion in defense spending for fiscal year 2018 in the budget to be submitted next month to Congress.

The president called his defense spending plan "historic" in an address to the National Governors Association (NGA) at the White House.

"This budget will be a public safety and national security budget," Trump said, adding that the hike in spending was needed to "rebuild the depleted military."

White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officials, meanwhile, told the press in a conference call that the FY 2018 budget would slash assistance to foreign countries.

Trump said his goal was to have a military that served as a deterrent and was eqipped to prevail in any conflict.

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