Record Trillion-Dollar Pentagon Budget Nothing to Celebrate

Earlier this month, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth proudly announced that the Trump administration’s Department of Defense (DOD) budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2026 will soar to $1 trillion dollars, breaking new ground in overspending for the federal government’s largest discretionary spending account. The United States shattered a related spending record just last year, when interest on the national debt eclipsed defense spending. But before anyone breaks out the domestic bubbly and Humvees to celebrate this dubious achievement, there are a few points to clear up.

First, it’s possible that we’ve already achieved this undesirable goal. Hegseth didn’t elaborate on precisely what the $1 trillion would include. Was he referring to the Pentagon and DOD specifically, or are other aspects of our sprawling national defense apparatus involved? For example, nuclear weapons are technically part of the Department of Energy. Homeland Security, parts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Coast Guard are also funded under the National Defense budget function (050), which reached an estimated $907 billion in FY 2024 alone. Veterans Affairs and Services (700) a major facet and result of Pentagon activities, could be considered part of our total national security spending; these services cost an estimated $346 billion in FY 2024. Emergency spending can also run up the Pentagon’s tab. Simply put, the amount Congress spends under the auspices of annual DOD appropriations does not represent the full universe of Pentagon spending and should be taken into account.

Second, a spending boost this size is extremely premature when planned cuts, oversight, and other reforms have yet to take effect. Little over a month before the trillion-dollar news, Hegseth called for Pentagon cuts of 8 percent each year for the next five years. He has also noted that the Pentagon is far from achieving a clean audit. Nevertheless, Hegseth has promised a passing grade within four years, stating correctly that ”[Taxpayers] deserve to know where their $850 billion dollars go, how it’s spent, and make sure it’s spent wisely.”

Waste, unnecessary or unworkable systems, and overcharging on the part of Pentagon contractors must all be remedied before additional dollars are added to the pile. Another prerequisite is determining exactly how the Pentagon will be accountable for these funds. In a shocking move back in January, President Donald J. Trump fired the Pentagon’s inspector general, the on-site taxpayer watchdog tasked with ensuring good stewardship of taxpayer funds, leaving that essential role vacant. Before asking for a handout, the Pentagon should work with Congress to realize cost savings and enhance oversight.

Third, our federal finances can’t accommodate increased spending. Not only is the current fiscal outlook unsustainable, it’s wildly overleveraged. Additional borrowing would be necessary to foot a $1 trillion bill. Interest on this debt immediately puts the final price tag far above a mere trillion dollars. Adding to our already staggering debt comes with other costs, as well. Past military leaders considered the national debt itself a top security threat, and slowed economic growth certainly won’t make us safer. Unfortunately, Congress is already considering a costly agenda of increased reference prices for commodities, potential trade mitigation payments for farmers affected by the trade war, and more debt to pay for the president’s agenda. And as always, there will be disasters or other unforeseen situations that require emergency spending.

Talk of a pricey military parade is particularly ill timed in light of this proposed spending. A trillion-dollar Pentagon budget is hard to justify if there are funds available for frivolous activities that lack a national security imperative. The very idea belies a lack of seriousness when it comes to the fiscal challenges we face as a nation. More money is no remedy to ongoing waste and shoddy oversight. Until taxpayers can be sure their funds are being spent appropriately and we can get our fiscal house in order, a Pentagon plus-up should be off the table—and a parade off the social calendar.