Story perspectives

CBO: Trump’s $1.2 Trillion Space Missile Defense Cost Exceeds Claims

5/13/2026

Summary

Story summary

Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates Golden Dome will cost $1.2 trillion over 20 years, six times President Donald Trump’s $175 billion claim.
President Donald Trump ordered a space-based missile-defense system of roughly 7,800 satellites.
Senator Jeff Merkley called the project a massive giveaway to defense contractors funded by working Americans.
Industry representatives doubt the interceptors will survive beyond Trump’s term as the administration seeks a $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget that includes the system.

History

Historical Context

President Ronald Reagan launched the $30 billion Strategic Defense Initiative in 1983 to shield the United States from Soviet ICBMs, creating the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization and sparking fierce debate. After the Cold War ended the program folded into later missile-defense efforts, and in May 2025 President Donald Trump unveiled the “Golden Dome,” echoing SDI’s ambition and reviving concerns voiced by Senator Jeff Merkley.

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Story summary

Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates Golden Dome will cost $1.2 trillion over 20 years, six times President Donald Trump’s $175 billion claim.
President Donald Trump ordered a space-based missile-defense system of roughly 7,800 satellites.
Senator Jeff Merkley called the project a massive giveaway to defense contractors funded by working Americans.
Industry representatives doubt the interceptors will survive beyond Trump’s term as the administration seeks a $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget that includes the system.

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