Pentagon cuts $50 billion budget to invest in Trump priorities

(CLO) The Pentagon said Wednesday it is directing military leaders to propose a list of budget cuts of about $50 billion in fiscal year 2026 to reallocate to President Donald Trump's defense priorities.

The budget review could pave the way for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to pursue his goals of investing more heavily in the Asia- Pacific region and focusing on securing the U.S.-Mexico border, among other reforms.

The Pentagon seen from above. Photo: mindfrieze

It’s unclear how these cuts will fit into other cost-saving initiatives led by Elon Musk’s DOGE team, which have already begun work at the Pentagon, as many civilian employees worry about losing their jobs.

Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Salesses said the military will review the budget proposed by the previous Biden administration to identify areas for cuts.

“These cuts target 8% of the Biden administration’s fiscal 2026 budget, totaling about $50 billion, which will then be allocated to programs aligned with President Trump’s priorities,” Salesses said.

The announcement clarifies the content of a memo sent by Minister Hegseth on Wednesday, which asked several military units to propose items that could be cut as part of a plan to reduce spending by 8% annually over the next five years.

A US official said the list of exemptions from the cuts includes: Indo- Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), the budget for military missions at the US-Mexico border, missile defense systems and autonomous weapons.

However, military commands responsible for operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa are not exempt.

In December 2024, then-President Joe Biden signed an $895 billion defense budget for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025.

Secretary Hegseth asserted that the Pentagon is focused on US border security and other threats, but cannot continue to "focus primarily on European security".

As Elon Musk's team began the review process, several civilian employees in the US military said they received emails on Thursday saying they could be laid off due to less than a year of service.

Canceling some defense programs could trigger strong opposition from members of Congress who want to protect military budgets in their constituencies.

Cao Phong (according to USP, CNN, Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/lau-nam-goc-giam-ngan-sach-50-ty-usd-de-dau-tu-cho-cac-uu-tien-cua-ong-trump-post335315.html