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

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.