Adding Half a Trillion Dollars to the Pentagon Budget is Unconscionable

February 6, 2026 – In response to House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers’ (R-AL) calling for a $450 billion increase in Pentagon funding as part of an upcoming budget reconciliation bill, Center for International Policy, Ari Tolany, Director of Security Assistance, Arms Trade, and Technology, issued the following statement:

“The provision of nearly half a trillion additional dollars to the Pentagon, an institution which has never successfully passed a financial audit, would represent yet more welfare for defense contractors and their shareholders at the American people’s expense.

The cost of living crisis represents the greatest threat facing many Americans, yet the Trump administration prioritizes military occupation of U.S. cities, a war of choice against Venezuela, and threats to strike even more countries across the globe. Massively increasing the taxpayer money funnelled to an already bloated Pentagon budget to fund Trump’s wars and line weapons moguls’ pockets is unconscionable.

Rather than subsidizing more waste in the name of militarism, Congress should push for a more accountable and transparent Pentagon, while investing in food security, transit, healthcare, and quality education that improves human security and everyday Americans’ quality of life.”