Senior Pentagon officials on Wednesday confirmed that the agency is considering a major budget cut of 8% each year over the next five years.
In a statement, Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Sales is expected to cuts to pay for other Trump administration defense priorities, including the “Iron and Moon for America” missile defense system and border security. He said.
He added that DOD sees climate change programs, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives as “stop unnecessary spending that will set back our troops.”
“The department will create a list of potential offsets that can be used to fund these priorities and refocus the department on the central mission of war deterrence and victory,” Salesses said. It states. “The offset covers 8% of the Biden administration's FY26 budget, totaling around $50 billion.”
Washington Post According to a memo on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegses first reported that he ordered the proposed cuts to be made by February 24th.
The document includes 17 categories that the Trump administration hopes to exempt budget cuts, including operations at the southern US border, modernising nuclear weapons and missile defense, and obtaining one-way attack drones and other ammunition. Includes a list of
“The Department of Defense has conducted this review to ensure that it makes the most of the taxpayer dollars in a way that efficiently and effectively delivers President Trump's defense priorities. “We're doing that,” Saleses said.
Cuts could be a tough sell for Congress. The Pentagon's current budget is around $850 billion, and this number is needed to denial lawmakers agree on both sides of the aisle to stop threats from Russia and China.
