Trump's $1.5 Trillion Defense Plan Draws Rare Republican Pushback

(Bloomberg) -- Key congressional Republicans are poised to break with Donald Trump on his proposed 44% raise for the Pentagon, a rare act of defiance that signals the president’s weakening grip on Washington as the midterm elections near and he quickly approaches the back half of his second term.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will head to Congress Wednesday and Thursday to defend Trump’s hoped-for $1.5 trillion defense budget, a number that’s already facing pushback from members of both political parties.

With just six months until the midterms, Republicans are trying to sharpen their economic message and appeal to voters predominantly concerned about the cost of living. A defense spending spike — coming alongside the unpopular Iran war — risks cuts to domestic programs popular with many Americans.

While defense hawks within the party generally support Trump’s military plan, other Republicans say they aren’t even clear yet how the president wants to spend the extra money. The $440 billion boost would be reminiscent of spending spikes during the height of manpower-intensive wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — and the extra money, Trump has said, wouldn’t even include funding for Iran, which he wants to handle separately.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-1-5-trillion-defense-230000704.html