Washington: Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has ordered a review of the department’s fiscal 2026 budget plans in order to shift funds from legacy programs towards President Donald Trump’s priorities, including border security and the Iron Dome for America.
“Secretary Hegseth has directed a review to identify offsets from the Biden Administration’s FY26 budget that could be realigned from low-impact and low-priority Biden-legacy programs to align with President Trump’s America First priorities for our national defence,” acting Deputy Secretary of Defence Robert Salesses said in a statement.
“The Department will develop a list of potential offsets that could be used to fund these priorities, as well as to refocus the Department on its core mission of deterring and winning wars. The offsets are targeted at 8% of the Biden Administration’s FY26 budget, totaling around $50 billion, which will then be spent on programs aligned with President Trump’s priorities.”
While not noted in the Salesses statement, the Washington Post earlier reported that the 8 percent shift would not just be for FY26, but for each year of the five-year long Future Years Defence Program (FYDP) that accompanies the annual budget request.
