January 16, 2026 3:20PM 

# Congress Should Scrap the Golden Dome Project 

By [Benjamin Giltner](https://www.cato.org/people/benjamin-giltner) 

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![greenland 1](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/pubs_2x/public/2026-01/greenland%201.jpg?itok=XqUKop04) 

Many people remain stumped over President Trump’s continual insistence on acquiring Greenland. He most recently justified a takeover of the island with the claim that [Greenland is needed to build the Golden Dome](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115893255826342514).

While defense experts are right [to note](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/14/trump-doesnt-need-greenland-golden-dome-00729833) that annexing Greenland is unnecessary for the Golden Dome’s completion, the more important takeaway from this—other than the absurdity of needing to take Greenland—is that the Golden Dome project should be scrapped. *Bloomberg* recently released a [noteworthy expense report](https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2025-golden-dome/) on the Golden Dome, where they estimate the total check to be anywhere from $844 billion to $1.1 trillion.

How the Pentagon will pay for this massive project *and* potentially foot the bill for Trump’s desired [$1.5 trillion defense budget](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/07/trump-calls-record-defense-budget-00715298) for 2027 remains to be seen.

Besides the costs, [debates](https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv4rftbx) and [studies](https://doi.org/10.1080/01402390.2024.2447306) since the Cold War over the construction of national missile defense systems —including the Golden Dome—show that they heighten the risk of nuclear attacks during a crisis between nuclear powers, and that they have little chance at stopping all launched nuclear weapons from hitting the United States. Russia and China could simply build more missiles and warheads and use other decoys to defeat these missile defenses. All at a vastly lower cost.

If Trump’s goal is for “… [China, for Russia and for the United States to denuclearize as much as possible](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/11/us/politics/trump-interview-transcript.html),” his administration and Congress should do away with the Golden Dome project. It is a bad idea that keeps on giving.

##### Related Tags 

[Defense and Foreign Policy](https://www.cato.org/defense-foreign-policy) 

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