$1 Trillion and Counting: A Deep Dive Into the Pentagon Budget

This year, the Trump administration asked Congress for nearly $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon and nuclear weapons in its annual President's Budget Request — a huge increase over last year's already massive request. This is a number that 59% of people believe is too high, according to recent polling from ReThink Media and the Costs of War project. But is the request warranted? Or are people right to believe this is too much to spend? Can Congress bring down the costs? And, most importantly, how does this affect Americans like you? We talked to our own Connor Murray, Research Analyst here at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, and Xiaodon Liang, Senior Policy Analyst at the Arms Control Association, to break down how the massive budget request makes its way through Congress, what the administration wants to spend our money on and what Congress should fund to keep us safe and protect American national security interests.

Show Notes:

Most Voters Say the Proposed $1.5 Trillion Pentagon Budget is Too High, by ReThink Media and the Costs of War project | https://rethinkmedia.org/blog/most-voters-say-the-proposed-1-5-trillion-pentagon-budget-is-too-high/

Reconciliation Breaks Decades of Bipartisanship, by Greg Williams at the Project on Government Oversight | https://www.pogo.org/commentaries/reconciliation-breaks-decades-of-bipartisanship

The Employment Impacts of Cuts to Federal Spending: Not All Cuts Are Created Equal, by Heidi Peltier with the Costs of War project | https://costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/employment-impacts-cuts-federal-spending-not-all-cuts-are-created-equal

Music by Ben Sound