White House budget director defends Trump's request for big military boost

President Donald Trump’s budget director is telling Congress that it'll take a massive upfront investment to ramp up U.S. weapons production and build more ships, planes and drones.

Russell Vought was on Capitol Hill for a hearing Wednesday before the House Budget Committee.

His testimony jump-starts the White House’s effort to increase defense spending to nearly $1.5 trillion in the next fiscal year, up from nearly $1 trillion this year, while also cutting health research, heating assistance and scores of other domestic programs by about 10% overall.

Democratic lawmakers say asking for a more than 40% increase in defense while cutting other programs shows that the administration's priorities are “out of whack.”