U.S. Representative Thomas Massie (R-WV) — who tends to align with libertarian principles and advocates for limited government, fiscal responsibility, and individual liberties — criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s proposed $1 trillion military budget, a record sum. (Congress allocated $892 billion in funding for national defense programs this year.)
In a post on X below, Hegseth boasted about the trillion dollar figure, writing “COMING SOON: the first TRILLION dollar Dept. of Defense budget.”
Thank you Mr. President!
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) April 7, 2025
COMING SOON: the first TRILLION dollar @DeptofDefense budget.
President @realDonaldTrump is rebuilding our military — and FAST.
(PS: we intend to spend every taxpayer dollar wisely — on lethality and readiness) pic.twitter.com/WcZlNAHgDG
Massie wrote on X: “We are over $36 trillion in debt. We have a $2 trillion deficit. We are not at war with anyone. Why would we spend a record breaking $1 trillion on the military budget?”
We are over $36 trillion in debt.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) May 7, 2025
We have a $2 trillion deficit.
We are not at war with anyone.
Why would we spend a record breaking $1 trillion on the military budget?
While many MAGA supporters are predictably angered by Massie’s critique and lack of blind trust in Hegseth and President Trump — “you were elected to follow the president’s agenda. Do your job” is a typical response — others support Massie’s line of questioning.
Lloyd Chapman, president of the American Small Business League, replied: “Why isn’t DOGE auditioning [sic] the Pentagon to find the missing trillions?” (Note: Hegseth did welcome DOGE to the Pentagon for an audit which resulted in cuts of “800 million in wasteful spending” according to the Defense Department, a tiny fraction of the Pentagon’s massive budget.)
As sometimes occurs with libertarians, Massie is hearing support for his ideas on the left too. Liberal-leaning political pundit Brian Krassenstein also agreed with Massie, and wrote on X: “I’m with you on this. We should be able to use AI and technology to reduce our budget while strengthening our military.”
In an editorial for Newsweek, Daniel R. DePetris, a fellow at Defense Priorities, echoed Massie’s issue with the trillion dollar figure, casting about for the real reason for it.
“In the grand scheme,” DePetris writes, “all of these issues are not nearly as fundamental as the $64,000 question: Why do we need a $1 trillion U.S. defense budget in the first place? Is it just to meet another Trump campaign promise? Is it to boast to the American people about how strong and well-resourced the U.S. military is? Or do lawmakers and policymakers genuinely believe the United States can’t defend its interests around the world without pouring globs of taxpayer money into a building that fails financial audits on an annual basis?”
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