Mattis tells lawmakers Trump budget won't fully rebuild military: report


http://thehill.com/policy/defense/329849-mattis-trumps-defense-spending-plan-not-enough-report



Defense Secretary James Mattis has privately cast doubt on President Trump's proposed Pentagon spending levels, telling members of Congress that the $603 billion request is not enough to fulfill Trump's vow to rebuild the military, CNN reported Friday.

Mattis has not spoken out against the spending plan publicly. But privately, the defense chief has told lawmakers that even with the proposed boost in funding, the Defense Department would not receive enough to do everything Trump has proposed.

"Mattis continues to express to members of the Armed Services Committees that he's being thwarted getting his message out that $603 billion is insufficient to do what Trump has called for," one Republican lawmaker told CNN.


On the campaign trail, Trump frequently promised to rebuild the military. That plan, he has said, would involve adding more fighter jets to the Air Force and growing the U.S. Navy's fleet, as well as increasing the number of troops.

His budget proposal released last month calls for a sizable increase in defense spending, while cutting funding for most other government agencies. Still, some congressional Republicans have argued that the increase is not enough, and that the Trump administration's spending plan doesn't award the Pentagon much more than that of the Obama administration.