CBO Estimates Trump's 'Golden Dome' Could Cost $1.2 Trillion
A new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects the proposed 'Golden Dome for America' missile defense system could cost $1.2 trillion over 20 years—far exceeding the $175 billion estimate provided by President Trump last year.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published an analysis on Tuesday estimating that President Donald Trump's proposed 'Golden Dome for America' missile defense system could cost $1.2 trillion over a 20-year period. This figure is significantly higher than the $175 billion estimate Trump provided last year. The CBO described its report as an illustrative approach, not an estimate of a specific administration proposal.
The System's Origins and Timeline
The system was ordered by Trump in an executive order in January 2025, with the goal of being fully operational before the end of his term in January 2029. The executive order cited increasing threats from next-generation strategic weapons developed by peer and near-peer adversaries.
Challenges in Cost Estimation
The CBO noted that the Department of Defense has not provided sufficient details about the specific systems to be deployed, making long-term cost estimation impossible. The concept is partly inspired by Israel's multitiered 'Iron Dome' defenses. The U.S. Golden Dome is envisioned to include ground- and space-based capabilities to detect, intercept, and stop missiles at all stages of an attack.
Congressional Funding and Criticism
Congress has already approved approximately $24 billion for the missile defense initiative through a tax and spending measure signed into law in 2025.
Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, director of the Golden Dome project, testified last month that the project is focused on affordability and that previous cost estimates were based on legacy systems. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who requested the CBO estimate, criticized the project as a giveaway to defense contractors.
Conflicting Cost Projections
In May 2025, Trump stated the Golden Dome would cost $175 billion. The CBO previously estimated that the space-based components alone could cost up to $542 billion over 20 years.