President Donald Trump told the nation’s governors that his first budget would include “a historic increase in defense spending.” But defense experts say that’s not the case.
Issues: defense spending
Kasich’s Post-Cold War Defense Cuts
Ad Attacks Cruz as ‘Weak’ on Defense
Cruz’s Misleading Ad on Military Cuts
Cruz’s Conservative Credentials
Rick Perry’s Talking Point on Defense Cuts
Aiken’s Attack Ad Is Off-Key
Hagel Shifts Sequester Blame to Congress
Is Obama to Blame for Lockheed’s 123,000 ‘Layoffs’?
Q: Is Lockheed Martin going to lay off 123,000 workers because of President Obama’s downsizing of the military?
A: No. Lockheed gave a “very rough” estimate of 10,000 potential layoffs (not 123,000) due to automatic spending cuts triggered by a 2011 bipartisan deficit-reduction bill. Obama and Congress are negotiating to avoid the cuts.
Obama Inflates Defense ‘Cut’
President Obama's claim "that we've already cut" $400 billion in defense spending is misleading. The president was referring to a Defense Department report that identified $178 billion in "efficiencies" over five years — which the administration says will save $400 billion over 10 years. But only $78 billion of the $178 billion represents actual cuts; the rest of the identified efficiencies will be reinvested in other Pentagon programs.
The president more than once has claimed he cut defense spending by $400 billion,