Pentagon Ordered to Make $50B in Budget Cuts

THE NEWS

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Pentagon on February 19, 2025, to draft plans for 8% annual budget cuts ($50 billion per year) over the next five years, redirecting funds toward President Donald Trump’s military priorities.

The directive targets climate initiatives, diversity programs, and non-exempt commands like European Command (overseeing Ukraine aid), while protecting border security, nuclear modernization, and Indo-Pacific operations.

This marks the largest proposed Pentagon spending reduction since 2013.

TIMELINE

February 19, 2025: Hegseth’s Budget Cut Directive

• Hegseth issues a memo demanding $50 billion in annual cuts (8% of the current $850 billion budget) for five years.

• Exemptions: Border security operations, nuclear modernization (e.g., B-21 bombers), Indo-Pacific Command (countering China), and autonomous weapons development.

• Targets:

• Climate programs: Elimination of climate resilience projects, including repairs to climate-damaged bases like Tyndall Air Force Base.

• DEI initiatives: Defunding diversity offices and training programs.

• Non-exempt commands: European Command (EUCOM), Central Command (CENTCOM), and Africa Command (AFRICOM) face reduced funding, impacting Ukraine aid and counterterrorism efforts.

• Deadline for branch-specific proposals: February 24, 2025.

REACTIONS

Pete Hegseth (Secretary of Defense): “We will eliminate climate alarmism and woke DEI programs to prioritize lethality.”

Robert Salesses (Pentagon spokesperson): Claims cuts target “bloated bureaucracy” to “secure the homeland and modernize the force.”

Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS): “Slashing budgets while China and Russia advance is reckless. We need $1 trillion annually, not cuts.”

House Armed Services Committee: Bipartisan criticism over exemptions for Coast Guard (border role) but not EUCOM, which oversees Ukraine aid.

NATO Allies: Fear reduced U.S. commitment to European security amid Trump’s demand for allies to spend 5% of GDP on defense.

WHAT'S NEXT

Approving any defense cuts will fall to the Republican-led Congress, which began hearings on the fiscal 2026 military budget in the last few days. That process is expected to take most of the year.

Before that, lawmakers still need to reach agreement on a short-term or long-term budget extension for fiscal 2025 by the middle of March, or trigger a partial government shutdown.