Trump aides struggle with how to spend $500 billion more on military [View all]

Source: Washington Post

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Trump aides struggle with how to spend $500 billion more on military

The White House budget chief was among those who internally objected to the defense secretary’s plan to increase military spending by roughly 50 percent, sources say.

February 21, 2026 at 6:00 a.m. EST Today at 6:00 a.m. EST
6 min


Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth face reporters on Capitol Hill last month. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

By Jeff Stein and Dan Lamothe

Trump administration officials have struggled to figure out how to increase U.S. military spending by a whopping $500 billion in their forthcoming budget, slowing the overall White House spending plan, four people familiar with the matter said.

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/02/21/trump-hegseth-budget-military/