TRUMP'S DEFENSE SPENDING GOALS AT ODDS WITH MUSK’S PLAN TO SLASH FEDERAL SPENDING
It’s still early into President Donald Trump’s second term in the Oval Office, but the goals of some of his top initiatives already seem to be at odds. Controversial figure Elon Musk wants to cut many things in the government—including how much the U.S. spends on defense. Trump’s defense spending plans, however, work in the opposite direction, as POTUS wants to increase our military’s budget.
Will Trump Cut Defense Spending?
President Trump doesn’t want to cut defense spending, rather the opposite. Even as Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) aims to save trillions of dollars in federal expenses, Trump wants The Pentagon to spend more.
In the future, Trump hopes the U.S. will be in a position to cut back on military spending, and has mentioned dialogues with President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin about everyone focusing less on defense spending.
“One of the things I’ll be doing with President Xi and with Putin and everybody else is saying, let’s ease up on all this, you know, building all of this, you know, the bombs,” said Trump.
Trump sees spending this much on weaponry nobody is using as “crazy;” however, with rising tensions around the world, the President also acknowledges that cutting the defense budget isn’t currently viable.
Trump Defense Spending vs. Musk’s Cuts
In fiscal year 2024 alone, the United States spent almost 50% of its discretionary funds on military spending equating to an estimated $900 billion.
No other example of discretionary money at the federal level can eclipse that figure.
Considering the United States spends more than the next nine nations combined on its military, it’s understandable why Musk could cut back on its seemingly infinite funding.
Federal workers and contractors working with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) are concerned about their job security amid cuts, and despite the opposing goals, Trump is still backing Musk to evaluate the department’s financial records.
DOGE Wants The Pentagon to Spend Less
Elon Musk may be the richest man in the world, as of this writing, but it’s his connection to defense spending under Trump and all other departments in the government, that has Americans paying attention.
The SpaceX founder believes The Pentagon needs to change a lot of what it’s doing for some of its weapons programs and his DOGE team is now looking at ways to cut want it feels is excessive.
There have been lawsuits and even pushback from experts who are questioning the legality of Musk’s operations within the federal government.
As it stands, the goal of DOGE is to eliminate $2 trillion from federal spending budgets, which if you’ll recall, is more than the U.S. spent on its entire discretionary budget during FY24.
Conflict of Interest
Trump’s defense spending plans may have his trusted ally Elon Musk auditing The Pentagon; however, it’s this very position sparking conflict-of-interest concerns.
Again, Musk has deep ties to his SpaceX venture, which has secured billions in defense contracts.
Any push to cut defense funding will trigger intense debate, as Congress controls federal spending, limiting the White House’s power.
With Republicans holding slim majorities and struggling to pass spending bills without Democratic support, they’ll need unity to advance Trump’s agenda—especially since many of Musk’s proposed cuts face strong Democratic opposition.
Trump’s Defense Spending Goals and Politics
How the government spends money may not always feel connected but funding is often tied to one another.
No matter if there is an increase in defense spending under the Trump administration or cuts, the ramifications will likely be felt across multiple agencies.
For example, some Republicans want even harsher cuts than are on the table, and cutting the military’s budget may be the only way to achieve these goals.
Complicating matters is that others still want to increase spending for the military, despite wanting cuts elsewhere.
Cutting defense spending is a tough sell since military bases and programs are spread across so many states, and lawmakers don’t want to lose jobs or funding in their districts.
Trump has ruled out cuts to Social Security and Medicare while pushing for more defense spending, leaving little room to reduce government costs.
The President insists tariffs will bring in enough money to offset tax cuts, but estimates suggest they wouldn’t cover the full gap.
Whatever Trump’s defense spending plans turn out to be, the ripple effect will be felt in the military, throughout the government, and on the political scene for years to come.
Read next:
