For Immediate Release:
July 2, 2026
Contacts:
Gabe Murphy, Policy Analyst, Taxpayers for Common Sense, gabe@taxpayer.net
Virginia Burger, Senior Defense Policy Analyst, Project on Government Oversight, Virginia.Burger@pogo.org
Greg Williams, Director of the Center for Defense Information, Project on Government Oversight, greg.williams@pogo.org
Washington, D.C. – Today, in partnership with the Project on Government Oversight, Taxpayers for Common Sense published a report: How to Cut Half a Billion Dollars From the Pentagon Budget Request and Strengthen National Security. The report was co-authored by Gabe Murphy, a Policy Analyst at Taxpayers for Common Sense, Virginia Burger, a Senior Defense Policy Analyst at the Project on Government Oversight, and Greg Williams, Director of the Center for Defense Information at the Project on Government Oversight.
The report and an accompanying spreadsheet detail proposed cuts to the Pentagon’s FY2027 budget request for $1.5 trillion, identifying $497 billion in cuts to the Pentagon’s procurement and research accounts that Congress could make that would bring the Pentagon budget back to roughly $1 trillion.
“National security requires a strategy, and this budget doesn’t have one,” said Gabe Murphy, Policy Analyst at Taxpayers for Common Sense. “The Pentagon’s all-of-the-above approach would squander hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars on wasteful, unnecessary programs and set a new baseline of bloat that would add trillions of dollars to the national debt over the next decade. Congress needs to cut this budget down to size, and we hope this cut list offers a place to start.”
“This cut list is deeply rooted in the strategic needs and tactical considerations that should be carefully considered in every budget proposal,” said Virginia Burger, Senior Defense Policy Analyst at the Project on Government Oversight. “Specifically with munitions, we made an effort to remain conservative in our cuts to ensure appropriate replenishment of U.S. stockpiles following recent conflicts. The needs of the warfighter were front and center in our considerations.”
“Asking for, let alone granting, a 45% budget increase to an organization that can’t balance its own books defies reason,” said Greg Williams, Director of the Center for Defense Information at the Project on Government Oversight. “Wrapping it all up in a gimmicky, chaotic appropriations process adds insult to injury. A strong national defense benefits from attention to detail and confronting hard choices. We hope this report facilitates both.”
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Taxpayers for Common Sense is a nonpartisan budget watchdog committed to eliminating wasteful spending and promoting fiscal transparency and accountability.
The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a nonpartisan, independent watchdog that investigates, exposes, and champions reforms on systemic corruption, abuse of power, and waste.
