Trump’s Reckless Pentagon Budget Faces Rising Opposition Across Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) today approved Trump’s $1.15 trillion Pentagon budget on a divided vote of 18-9, demonstrating significant Senate opposition to Trump’s proposed $250 billion increase over the 2025 Pentagon budget.
On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) announced that he would propose a $150 billion cut to Trump’s Pentagon budget through an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) during the closed-door committee hearing. Committee hearing details have not been fully reported out yet. Just one week earlier, the U.S. House Armed Services Committee had a similarly divided vote over its version of Trump’s Pentagon budget. An amendment to cut Trump’s Pentagon budget by $150 billion received 25 votes in the House committee, and 12 Members ultimately voted against the entire $1.15 trillion bill.
Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, released the following statement:
“There is a rising tide of Democratic and Republican opposition to Trump’s illegal Iran war and massive proposed increases to the Pentagon budget. Dozens of legislators have voted in committee against Trump’s proposed $250 billion dollar increase over the 2025 Pentagon budget. And a bipartisan majority of the House has voted in support of the War Powers resolution that directs Trump to end his war on Iran.
“Trump has repeatedly stated that he doesn’t care about childcare, inflation, or addressing the needs of the American people. Instead, he is seeking an overall $600 billion annual increase in Pentagon spending that would raise the total Pentagon budget to over $1.5 trillion.
“The American people are demanding Congress block Trump’s attempts to increase the Pentagon budget. This means voting against his National Defense Authorization Act, rejecting any Iran war supplemental funding bill, and blocking his proposed third reconciliation bill. The money that Trump wants to burn on war should instead be spent on the needs of the American people, including restoring funding for health care, food, housing, and climate action.”