Politico reports US officials increasingly view President Trump's proposed $1.5
tln defense request as unlikely to win congressional approval; the Pentagon is
preparing for roughly $400 bln of reductions. The administration had sought up
to $1.5 tln, aiming to use budget reconciliation to add $350 bln above a $1.15
tln base. Pentagon planners and congressional appropriations committees are
instead drafting a roughly $1.1 tln defense budget, and Pentagon budget teams
are assessing which programs must be prioritized for funding. A former
government official said planners are drawing up a smaller package and that a
lower budget is now the more common expectation versus any proposal near $1.5
tln.
