Golden Dome missile shield would cost $1.2 trillion, CBO finds

President Donald Trump's proposed Golden Dome missile defense system would cost approximately $1.2 trillion to develop, deploy, and operate over two decades, according to a new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released Tuesday. The estimate is roughly six times higher than the $175 billion price tag Trump cited last May, and surpasses the entire annual defense budget. The CBO noted its projection reflects one illustrative approach based on limited administration details, since the White House has not specified the exact type or scale of anti-missile systems planned. The futuristic space-based shield was ordered by Trump via executive order on January 27, 2025, just one week after his inauguration, with the stated goal of defending the United States against any foreign aerial attack. The president has said he expects the system to be fully operational before his term ends in January 2029. The concept draws inspiration from both Israel's Iron Dome multitiered defense network and Ronald Reagan's Cold War-era Strategic Defense Initiative, which was derisively nicknamed "Star Wars." The U.S. system is envisioned to include ground and space-based capabilities able to detect, intercept, and destroy missiles at all major stages of a potential attack. Congress has already approved roughly $24 billion for the initiative through the Republicans' massive tax and spending measure signed into law last summer. However, the CBO report also cautioned that even at this massive cost, the system "could be overwhelmed by a full-scale attack mounted by a peer or near-peer adversary." Senator Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee who requested the analysis, called the program a "massive giveaway to defense contractors paid for by working Americans" and vowed to continue fighting additional funding.