NPR Topics: News | Trump's proposed 'Golden Dome' estimated to cost $1.2 trillion by The Associated Press

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President Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile‑defense program—intended to place weapons in space and protect the United States from next‑generation strategic threats—has been re‑estimated by the Congressional Budget Office at about $1.2 trillion over the next 20 years, far above the $175 billion figure Trump cited last year. The CBO analysis, which reflects an illustrative approach rather than a precise Administration proposal, notes the lack of detailed Defense Department data on system scope, making exact long‑term cost projections difficult. The project, modeled in part on Israel’s multi‑layered “Iron Dome,” would combine ground‑ and space‑based sensors and interceptors to detect and neutralize missiles at any stage of an attack, and Congress has already approved roughly $24 billion for the initiative. While Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, director of the Golden Dome effort, emphasizes a focus on affordability, critics such as Sen. Jeff Merkley argue the plan amounts to a massive giveaway to defense contractors funded by American taxpayers.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2026/05/13/g-s1-121780/trumps-golden-dome-cost

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