Iron dome anti-missile system fires interception missiles as rockets fired from Lebanon, as it seen over the Hula Valley, April 12, 2024. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90)

(JTA) — President Donald Trump’s proposed federal budget for fiscal year 2026 asks for a litany of cuts — from reductions in basic government functions to the elimination of what he calls “woke programs.”

But there’s at least one area where Trump wants to expand: The document includes plans for an American version of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system — called the “Golden Dome.”

One line of the proposal “makes a down-payment on the development and deployment of a Golden Dome for America, a next-generation missile defense shield that would protect the U.S. from missile threats coming from any adversary,” the document reads.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

It’s part of Trump’s proposal for a massive $113 billion increase in Department of Defense spending, a jump of 13%, amid widespread cuts elsewhere. 

The “Golden Dome” proposal builds on Trump’s longtime praise for Israel’s system, which detects and intercepts incoming missiles while they are in the air. It is funded by U.S. assistance and is a key piece of Israel’s defenses against missile fire from adversaries such as Hamas and Hezbollah.  

Trump has repeatedly stated his desire to replicate the system for the United States, and signed an executive order shortly after taking office calling on the military to develop an “Iron Dome for America”.

He introduced his own “Golden Dome” spin on the concept during his address to Congress in March, when Trump asked the legislative branch to fund a “Golden Dome missile defense shield to protect our homeland.”

He added moments later, “Israel has it, other places have it, and the United States should have it, too.”

It’s unclear how the Trump administration would replicate such a system, given that the United States is far larger and does not face a comparable missile threat from the country’s neighbors. 

But Trump isn’t the only national leader talking about borrowing the concept. South Korea, which faces a nuclear threat from the adjoining North Korea, is building its own version.

And, according to Democrats in Congress and The New York Times, the person spearheading the project could be Trump’s multibillionaire governing partner, Elon Musk. The Times reported that Musk’s company SpaceX would be a principal beneficiary of increased spending, in the form of military and space-oriented contracts. SpaceX manufactures both rockets and surveillance tech, two essential components of such a defense system.

Musk’s business interests have benefited from Trump’s actions since he returned to office, even as Musk has sought to massively slash the size of the government.

This week, dozens of House Democrats called for an investigation into Musk’s role in the procurement process for the “Golden Dome.”

Congress must still approve the presidential budget request to implement it. 

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount