CBO Tells Merkley: Trump’s “Golden Dome” Could Cost Taxpayers More Than $1.2 Trillion

CBO Tells Merkley: Trump's "Golden Dome" Could Cost Taxpayers More Than $1.2 Trillion

CBO Estimates the "Golden Dome" to Cost $1.2 Trillion Over 20 Years, Unable to Project Long Term Cost Due to Lack of Detailed Planning by Department of Defense

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, at the request of U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released independent analysis showing that President Trump's plan to deploy a next-generation missile defense shield-dubbed "Golden Dome"-will cost U.S. taxpayers more than of $1.2 trillion. This is an alarming amount compared to what Trump has previously stated would cost $175 billion.

"The President's so-called 'Golden Dome' is nothing more than a massive giveaway to defense contractors paid for entirely by working Americans. It will do little to advance American national security, while wasting at least $1.2 TRILLION of taxpayer dollars. Just like the president's symbolic renaming of the Department of Defense or deploying National Guard troops to our cities, this move to fund the 'Golden Dome' will be far more effective at squandering money than protecting American lives," said Merkley.

"The American people want leaders in Washington who focus on lowering prices and creating opportunities for families to get ahead, not waging more costly conflicts and padding the pockets of their defense contractor friends. I will continue to work with my colleagues in the Senate to prevent another dime from flowing to this racket," Merkley continued.

Republicans provided funding for the "Golden Dome" before even knowing the total price tag. Last year's Republican reconciliation bill, the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, allocated $25 billion for enhancement of Department of Defense integrated air and missile defense, or just 2 percent of the total amount it will take to fund the "Golden Dome." According to this year's budget request, the Pentagon is asking Congress to pass another reconciliation bill later this year to provide an additional $17 billion to the "Golden Dome."

In June 2025, Merkley called on CBO to provide a detailed cost estimate deploying this missile defense shield-including the interceptors, sensors, command, control, and communication systems that would be required across land, sea, air, and space domains. Merkley also asked CBO to evaluate the potential strategic consequences of how our adversaries may respond, the likelihood of an arms race, and the additional costs the U.S. taxpayer might face if it seeks to sustain such a system's effectiveness in light of foreign countermeasures or strategic force expansion.

In July 2025, Merkley, who also serves as a co-chair of the Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, urged Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to not build the "Golden Dome" saying it would waste billions of taxpayer dollars, ignite a nuclear arms race, and aggravate corruption.

CBO's response to Merkley on the cost of the "Golden Dome" is HERE.

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