Pentagon Faces Scrutiny Over Proposed $1.5-Trillion Defense Budget

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other Pentagon officials offered few detailed explanations for why the Defense Department requires a proposed $1.5 trillion budget next year, Eric Boehm reported for Reason.

Hegseth was questioned over the lack of specifics during a Senate hearing.

During appropriations hearings in the House and Senate, Hegseth did not specify new threats that would justify the increase in spending.

Critics pointed to the Pentagon’s own messaging following the hearings, including statements that the budget would ensure the US maintains “the world’s most powerful and capable military” while confronting “a complex threat environment across multiple theaters.”

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a former US Navy pilot, questioned the lack of specifics during a Senate hearing.

“If you're putting together a budget, you'd come up with, ‘These are the problems we're trying to solve. This is the capability we need. These are the systems we have to buy,’” Kelly said.