The Trump administration has asked for a record $81.1 billion in “black budget” funding for U.S. intelligence programs next year, The Washington Times reports.
The request includes $59.9 billion for the National Intelligence Program, which covers non-military programs and activities. The request, announced Tuesday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, is higher than the $57.7 billion requested for this fiscal year and the $54.6 billion appropriated for fiscal 2017.
The administration also asked for $21.2 billion for the Military Intelligence Program, which covers intelligence activities by the Department of Defense.
The combined total is 3.4 percent higher than the fiscal 2018 request and the largest announced since the government began disclosing its intelligence budget requests in 2007, The Washington Times’ Andrew Blake writes.
The public won’t get many details about the black budget beyond those topline figures. “Beyond the disclosure of the NIP top-line figure, there will be no other disclosures of currently classified NIP budget information because such disclosures could harm national security,” the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said. Similarly, the Pentagon said, “No other MIP budget figures or program details will be released, as they remain classified for national security reasons.”
