The Pentagon head proposed a 44% increase – to second world war levels – while ‘woke’ programs are gutted US politics live – latest updates When the ‘“department of government efficiency” was raging unchecked through the federal government in February 2025, the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth , ordered his subordinates to find cuts of 8% a year for the next five years, theoretically trimming a total of $340m from the Pentagon budget. The disclosure briefly sent Palantir and defense stocks tanking – though soon the plan evaporated, as if it never existed. Continue reading...