As US officials gradually realise that Trump's proposed record defense budget is actually difficult to obtain congressional approval, the Pentagon is preparing for a drastic reduction in the budget. The Trump administration has been urging Congress to approve a defense budget of up to $1.5 trillion, which will be the largest military investment in US history. However, people familiar with the matter revealed that the Pentagon and the Congressional Appropriations Committee are drawing up a smaller defense budget of about 1.1 trillion US dollars. The Trump administration has been hoping to pass a legislative mechanism called the “Budget Coordination Process” to push for approval of a record defense budget. The procedure allows Republican lawmakers to bypass Democratic opposition and add an additional $350 billion to the $1.15 trillion base budget. The Pentagon's budget planners are evaluating which defense projects must be funded on a priority basis. A former government official said, “They are indeed working on a smaller budget plan. Compared to any plan close to $1.5 trillion, a lower budget is the more common expectation.”

As US officials gradually realise that Trump's proposed record defense budget is actually difficult to obtain congressional approval, the Pentagon is preparing for a drastic reduction in the budget. The Trump administration has been urging Congress to approve a defense budget of up to $1.5 trillion, which will be the largest military investment in US history. However, people familiar with the matter revealed that the Pentagon and the Congressional Appropriations Committee are preparing a smaller defense budget of about 1.1 trillion US dollars. The Trump administration has been hoping to pass a legislative mechanism called the “Budget Coordination Process” to push for approval of a record defense budget. The procedure allows Republican lawmakers to bypass Democratic opposition and add an additional $350 billion to the $1.15 trillion base budget. Pentagon budget planners are evaluating which defense projects must receive priority funding. A former government official said, “They are indeed working on a smaller budget plan. Compared to any plan close to $1.5 trillion, a lower budget is the more common expectation.”