Trump Announces Putting In 'Massive' Budget Request for 'Beloved' US Military

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Trump added that hopefully the United States will never have to use its military, "but nobody is going to mess with us, folks, nobody."

"We are also putting in a massive budget request for our beloved military," Trump said.

"And we will be substantially upgrading all of our military, all of our military, offensive, defensive, everything — bigger and better and stronger than ever before."

He did not specify the year when the military budget will be boosted.

In January, Trump issued an executive order instructing his administration’s budget director to work closely with Defense Secretary James Mattis to ensure adequate funding for a major modernization program of the US military.

In the order, Trump instructed Mattis to cooperate with the Office of Management and Budget chief to prepare an expanded proposed armed forces budget for fiscal year 2018 to ensure reliable and adequate funding for all expansion and modernization programs that military reviews are expected to recommend.

The US military has been hit by automatic cuts under a sequester, or hard cap on funding agreement passed by the Republican-controlled Congress and approved by then-President Barack Obama in the Budget Control Act of 2011.

Trump repeatedly pledged during his 2016 election campaign to ensure that funding for the US military was removed from the sequester process and re-established on a more secure and expanded basis.