Congressional Battle Over Trump’s Golden Dome Faces a Veto of Support
A changing Congress
Seven House members in the all-Republican Golden Dome Caucus either lost their reelection bids or did not seek another term in the 2026 midterms. Departing lawmakers include co-chair Rep. Jeff Crank of Colorado and Rep. Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee, who leads the House subcommittee overseeing the initiative.
Rep. Scott Moulton, the Democratic ranking member on the House Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, is also retiring. Rep. John Garamendi of California is the next-senior Democrat on the panel and could become chairman when the new Congress convenes in January.
Funding drew partisan criticism
Trump announced Golden Dome in January 2025, during the first week of his second term. His executive order set up a program to consolidate existing missile defense work, accelerate Ground-Based Interceptors, and develop orbiting sensors and Space-Based Interceptors to protect the US homeland.
The program’s first approximately $24 billion in funding came through Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which passed on a party-line vote rather than through the usual bipartisan military budget process. In a September hearing, Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota said the funding should have been handled on a bipartisan basis.
Questions about scope and cost
Military officials have recently indicated they may retreat from a capability Trump requested: intercepting missiles during the boost phase, shortly after launch. Democrats are expected to scrutinize the program, consider limits on its funding, and propose legislation to remove its most controversial element and change its name.
The administration estimates Golden Dome will cost $185 billion over 10 years, but officials have released little detail about how the system would work. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that a national missile defense system meeting the executive order’s requirements would cost about $1.2 trillion.
Political label draws concern
The program includes work that was already underway, and in some cases operational, before Trump’s order. Its early funding was bundled with other contentious White House priorities, drawing criticism that the initiative had become politicized.
John Plumb, who oversaw military space policy under the Biden administration, said at a CyberSat conference that politicizing national security leads to a political response and causes damage. Rep. Garamendi previously called Golden Dome a “massive, extraordinarily expensive, and ultimately inadequate defensive system.”
Key points
- Seven House members of the Republican Golden Dome Caucus are leaving after the 2026 midterms.
- Democrats are expected to oversee Pentagon budgeting and seek changes to the initiative.
- The administration projects a 10-year cost of $185 billion; the Congressional Budget Office estimated about $1.2 trillion.