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Pentagon Drafts $1.1 Trillion Budget, Cuts $400 Billion

By Drooid · Oct 30, 2026 · How we work

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The Pentagon is drafting a $1.1 trillion defense budget, cutting $400 billion from President Donald Trump’s $1.5 trillion request.
The plan would use reconciliation to add $350 billion to a $1.15 trillion base budget.
White House budget director Russell Vought said the administration has no alternatives if Congress rejects the $1.5 trillion plan.
Sources told Politico the $400 billion cut signals Republican headwinds after midterm elections and the Pentagon cannot admit publicly.

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The Pentagon is drafting a $1.1 trillion defense budget, cutting $400 billion from President Donald Trump’s $1.5 trillion request.
The plan would use reconciliation to add $350 billion to a $1.15 trillion base budget.
White House budget director Russell Vought said the administration has no alternatives if Congress rejects the $1.5 trillion plan.
Sources told Politico the $400 billion cut signals Republican headwinds after midterm elections and the Pentagon cannot admit publicly.