After midterms, Trump’s battleships and golden dome defense system face uncertain life support

Battleship plans face scrutiny

Trump announced plans for the Golden Fleet in December 2025, describing the proposed ships as far more powerful than earlier vessels. He said the first 15 battleships should use nuclear power; the Congressional Budget Office estimates they could cost about $275 billion.

Adam Smith, the House Armed Services Committee’s ranking Democrat, is seeking to become chairman in January. In a letter to Democratic colleagues last week, he indicated that the approach to the program could change. He had previously called it an ill-conceived vanity project.

Cost and political branding concerns

Cancian also predicted Democrats would broadly seek to remove Trump’s name from projects in Washington. He said the battleship proposal was expensive and lacked strong justification.

Golden Dome funding in question

Smith’s letter did not specifically discuss the Golden Dome, a proposed defense network using space-based sensors and interceptors. Experts nevertheless identified it as another project that could be challenged under a Democratic-led Congress.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated in May that the system could cost $1.2 trillion over 20 years. One speaker warned that without funding, the project could not proceed; the article did not identify that speaker.

White House response

The proposed 2027 defense budget totals $1.5 trillion and still requires congressional approval. The fate of the battleships and Golden Dome therefore remains unsettled.