Debate over the cost and feasibility of President Trump’s planned Golden Dome missile defense system has raged despite the White House’s insistence that the plan is affordable and will be completed by 2028.
A Monday report from the Congressional Research Service outlined some of the friction between the White House’s cost estimates and those of defense experts and Congress.
Mr. Trump unveiled Golden Dome in January, issuing an executive order aimed at combining all of the U.S.’ missile defense capabilities to create a massive system to protect the homeland from aerial threats from foreign powers.
In May, Mr. Trump said the system would cost $175 billion and would be completed by the end of his term.
But according to the Congressional Research Service report, some say the program could cost much more.
The Congressional Budget Office was one of the first to throw cold water on the $175 billion figure, predicting that Golden Dome would eventually cost up to $542 billion, driven mostly by its inclusion of space-based interceptors.
Space Force Chief of Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman concurred in May, telling Politico that Golden Dome will likely need additional funding. He added that initial cost estimates for similar projects are never higher than their final price tag.
Golden Dome was allocated $24.4 billion from Mr. Trump’s FY2025 reconciliation law, the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Congressional trouble may already be brewing. The Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday held a closed-door meeting, where members were briefed by Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, director of the Golden Dome project, on initial plans for the system.
According to reports, Democratic committee members expressed concerns about the cost of the project, citing other expert estimates that say Golden Dome will cost more and take longer to build.
“My impression is that we are receiving more information [from the Pentagon], but still additional facts are absolutely necessary to assess the Golden Dome completely and accurately,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Democrat, told Breaking Defense, a defense-oriented news outlet.
Committee members refused to reveal more specific details gleaned from the meeting with Gen. Guetlein, citing the classification of such information.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.