CUT IT OUT: A new report out this morning from Taxpayers for Common Sense and the Project on Government Oversight outlines a raft of cuts to weapons programs lawmakers could pursue to bring President Donald Trump’s record-breaking $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget request down to $1 trillion, roughly its current level.
By the numbers: The exercise identified approximately $497 billion in potential cuts, targeted mostly at Pentagon procurement and research and development accounts. The aim, the authors said, is to provide lawmakers with a road map to slim down the budget that they contend, at nearly 50 percent growth in a single year, is wasteful and not reflective of national security strategy.
“The Pentagon’s all-of-the-above approach would squander hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars on wasteful, unnecessary programs,” said Gabe Murphy of Taxpayers for Common Sense, one of the authors. “Congress needs to cut this budget down to size, and we hope this cut list offers a place to start.”
Key items: Several big-ticket items would be on the chopping block.
The report proposes gutting advanced fighter procurement. This includes zeroing out funds to buy new F-35s, citing the aircraft’s low readiness rates and high sustainment costs, for a total savings of $14.1 billion.
It also recommends slashing $5.7 billion allocated for the Air Force and Navy’s respective sixth generation fighter programs.
Golden Dome, Trump’s proposed missile defense shield, would also see its nearly $18 billion in the fiscal 2027 budget revoked. Also on the hook for cuts are the B-21 bomber program at $7 billion and the planned Sentinel ICBM fleet at $4.7 billion.
The report highlights nearly $20 billion in savings from procurement for seven major munitions programs, arguing “modest” cuts can be made and still allow for stockpile replenishment. The analysis in part seeks to trim spending where multiple munitions provide near identical capabilities or where multiple generations of the same munitions are being procured.
The authors also said they doubt that ratcheting upfront spending will significantly speed up munitions production.
POGO’s Virginia Burger, another report author, said that with munitions, the authors sought “to remain conservative in our cuts to ensure appropriate replenishment of U.S. stockpiles.”
