Trump Highlights Unprecedented $1 Trillion Pentagon Budget
US President Donald Trump has announced that his administration has approved a record defense budget of approximately $1 trillion, despite a campaign focused on cutting federal spending. Trump made these statements during a meeting with Israeli...
TroibNews 
US President Donald Trump has announced that his administration has approved a record defense budget of approximately $1 trillion, despite a campaign focused on cutting federal spending.
Trump made these statements during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.
“We are very cost-conscious but the military is something that we have to build and we have to be strong because you have a lot of bad forces out there now,” Trump said. “Nobody’s seen anything like it.”
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized that “we intend to spend every taxpayer dollar wisely – on lethality and readiness.”
Lloyd Austin, who served as defense secretary under President Joe Biden, had suggested increasing the defense budget by about $50 billion more than the original projections for the fiscal year 2026.
In contrast, the Pentagon proposed an 8% spending cut in February while focusing on technologies such as drones, submarines, and defense operations at the US-Mexico border, as well as initiatives aimed at deterring China.
The current US Defense Department budget stands at $895.2 billion. Despite the significant allocations for defense, the Pentagon has not successfully passed an audit for seven consecutive years since the audit process began.
Trump’s commitment to increased military funding comes as his administration, through the Department of Government Efficiency, has implemented significant federal spending cuts. Under the leadership of Elon Musk, DOGE has seen around 280,000 federal workers laid off in recent months.
Max Fischer for TROIB News
Trump made these statements during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.
“We are very cost-conscious but the military is something that we have to build and we have to be strong because you have a lot of bad forces out there now,” Trump said. “Nobody’s seen anything like it.”
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized that “we intend to spend every taxpayer dollar wisely – on lethality and readiness.”
Lloyd Austin, who served as defense secretary under President Joe Biden, had suggested increasing the defense budget by about $50 billion more than the original projections for the fiscal year 2026.
In contrast, the Pentagon proposed an 8% spending cut in February while focusing on technologies such as drones, submarines, and defense operations at the US-Mexico border, as well as initiatives aimed at deterring China.
The current US Defense Department budget stands at $895.2 billion. Despite the significant allocations for defense, the Pentagon has not successfully passed an audit for seven consecutive years since the audit process began.
Trump’s commitment to increased military funding comes as his administration, through the Department of Government Efficiency, has implemented significant federal spending cuts. Under the leadership of Elon Musk, DOGE has seen around 280,000 federal workers laid off in recent months.
Max Fischer for TROIB News
