Senators question Golden Dome feasibility
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Top senators are questioning the effectiveness and cost of President Trump's Golden Dome missile defense effort.
Why it matters: Trump's sprawling plan is still failing to win needed support from lawmakers — and it's in dire financial straits.
State of play: Lawmakers and defense analysts said during a Sept. 29 Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing they're in the dark about Golden Dome's technology and capabilities.
- Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) said given various cost estimates it appeared that nationwide missile coverage was "not in the cards" and wondered "who is protected and who isn't?"
- A spokesperson for the Defense Department's Golden Dome office declined to comment.
By the numbers: In May, the Congressional Budget Office estimated the missile shield could cost as much as $1.2 trillion over 20 years.
- Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) told a CBO official during last week's hearing she wanted "more informed analysis in the future."
Yes, but: David Mosher, CBO's national security analysis director, told lawmakers CBO received its first briefing from the Golden Dome office just five days before the Sept. 29 hearing.
- Gen. Michael Guetlein, Golden Dome's program manager, has decried the CBO estimate and said the system will remain within a $185 billion budget.
Follow the money: Golden Dome's been funded exclusively through reconciliation, a maneuver that allows the Republican majority to pass additional spending.
- It netted $24.4 billion last year, and almost all of the $17.5 billion requested for the program this year comes from reconciliation.
