Todd Harrison, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, joins Francis to examine the fiscal year 2026 defense budget proposal from the Trump administration, which totals $848 billion. Harrison discusses how the reconciliation process is being used to fund Department of Defense programs and compares it to the previous use of Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding. 

He explains the procedural and political differences between the two methods and outlines the implications for future budgeting, particularly in FY27. You’ll learn how these fiscal mechanisms influence national defense planning, what’s at stake for high-priority programs like Golden Dome, and how political dynamics could shape future funding decisions.

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