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Pentagon Secretly Braces for Embarrassing Trump Defeat
The Daily Beast • • nation
Key Points:
- Pentagon officials are quietly preparing for the likely failure of President Trump’s $1.5 trillion defense budget request, anticipating a significant reduction of about $400 billion.
- The Trump administration has pushed for this record military budget to fund projects like a “Golden Fleet” battleship and a “Golden Dome” missile defense system, as well as replenishing war-depleted stockpiles.
- Bipartisan support for the $1.5 trillion budget is weak, especially with the possibility of Republicans losing control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections, complicating efforts to pass the full package.
- The administration hopes to use the reconciliation process to pass the budget with a simple Senate majority, but some Senate Republicans doubt this will succeed if GOP loses either chamber.
- Frustration is growing among Republicans toward the administration over defense funding, and insiders believe a drastic $1.5 trillion budget increase is unlikely to materialize.
