Whiskey Pete's Money Troubles Exposed as He Pleads for 'Historic' Influx of Cash [View all]
The Army has been forced to take drastic measures due to a massive budget shortfall, even as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seeks a historic $1.5 trillion in military funding for 2027.
Leaked internal documents cited by ABC News revealed broad spending cuts to make up for what one U.S. official described as a shortfall of between $4 billion and $6 billion. The crunch comes as the cost of Donald Trumps Iran war continues to climb and the president weighs a major escalation in the conflict.
The cuts have triggered abrupt cancellations of training courses, reduced aviation readiness, and intensified scrutiny over Army spending months before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30. News of the budget woes also comes just a few months after a government watchdog report revealed that the Pentagon embarked on a $93.4 billion spending splurge in late 2025 that included lobster tails and ribeye steaks, part of a move to exhaust use-it-or-lose-it funds and avoid future budget cuts.
ABC News reported that major drivers behind the shortfall included costs associated with the Iran war and the Trump administrations mission to secure the southern U.S. border. Large National Guard deployments are also contributing to the strain, including the ongoing Washington, D.C., deployment, which the Congressional Budget Office projected would cost roughly $1.1 billion this year.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/pentagon-pete-money-troubles-exposed-160644562.html