CNN
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According to a new memo obtained by CNN, Defense Secretary Pete Hegses has ordered the military to prepare plans to make dramatic budget cuts over the next five years, with exceptions for border security.
The memo, which was posted Tuesday, calls for military leaders to offer proposals for budget cuts of 8% each year for the next five years. The proposal for a massive cut in the Pentagon budget is expected to be paid by February 24th, less than a week after Hegses issued the memo.
It was issued the day before President Donald Trump approved the House budget plan, which includes a $100 billion increase in defense spending, suggesting a major disconnect within the administration. Hegseth himself called for an increase in his defense budget a week ago. During his visit to Stuttgart, Germany, Hegses said:
“The military sector and DOD components are resources to provide the capabilities and preparation needed for wartime tempos, and we ask that they offset those requirements with low items such as wasted DEIs and climate change programs,” Hegseth said. I’m writing it on a note. Memos labeled CUI, uncontrolled, uncategorized information – were sent to senior Pentagon leaders, combatant commanders and defense agencies.
The memo is as Trump and Elon Musk’s government efficiency is beginning major efforts to reduce the federal government, cut spending and fire a significant number of workers across the country.
The Washington Post first reported a note.
“The Pentagon is conducting this review to ensure that the most of taxpayer dollars can be utilized in a way that efficiently and effectively delivers President Trump’s defense priorities,” the Pentagon said. said Robert Cereles, spokesman for the film.
Despite Hegses’s statement that “revives the warrior spirit,” the civilians were soon raised as concerns were raised that summary shooting could break the law and could harm US military preparations this week. Some defense personnel responsible for launching the list of people Pentagon employees will be fired.
The proposed cut in the Pentagon’s roughly $850 billion budget will be the hundreds of billions of dollars in the first year, the largest reduction in the Department of Defense budget since 2013 quarantine.
The proposal is sure to meet resistance from Republicans in Congress, many of whom are calling for a greater defense budget, and only moderate hikes of defense spending have eased the Biden administration. Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, calls for a gradual increase in defense spending to more than $1 trillion a year.
The cuts also come as Trump is calling on NATO allies to increase their defensive spending to 5% of GDP. (If the US spends 5% of its budget on defense, the military’s budget would exceed $1.2 trillion.)
