**The Trump-class battleship faces a major congressional roadblock. The House-passed FY2027 defense bill bars the Navy from contracting for the lead USS Defiant until its planned weapons reach sufficient technological maturity.**

CBO estimates the first ship at about $23 billion, with the 15-ship program averaging more than $18 billion per hull. Railguns, lasers and hypersonic weapons remain unproven, while the sole US yard building nuclear-powered surface combatants is already burdened by carrier delays. Naval War College strategist James Holmes [argues](https://www.19fortyfive.com/2026/08/the-us-navy-will-never-build-the-18000000000-trump-class-battleships/) the combination of cost, technical risk and limited shipyard capacity makes the class unlikely to be built.

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