The first month of Donald Trump’s second presidency has been a whirlwind of policy shakeups, executive orders, and proposed budget cuts. It didn’t take long to find waste, fraud, and abuse in government agencies, big and small, thanks to Elon Musk and his team at DOGE.

Until now, however, any talk of reducing wasteful spending in the federal government has stopped at the door of the Pentagon. For decades, Congress issued what amounted to blank checks to the military to support a hawkish foreign policy and endless wars with no oversight and certainly no accountability. It’s no wonder why the Pentagon hasn’t been able to pass its annual audit for the past seven years.

Now, President Trump is doing what no other president has had the courage to do: see how and where the Pentagon spends its money.

When newly confirmed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth mentioned in a memo that the Pentagon budget might be cut by 8% each year for the next five years, there were cries and shouts from all political circles and the usual hysterics from the national media. But unlike the media’s common portrayal of Trump and Musk engaging in a coldhearted purge of loyal government servants or shuttering critical government agencies, the main purpose of DOGE is to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and in the country’s direct interests.

Hegseth’s plan doesn’t threaten to undermine America’s military.

“Upon clarification,” notes military analyst William Hartung, “it became clear that the plan is not to reduce the Pentagon’s top line, but to shift any savings found in one part of the department to pay for other systems and activities more in line with the preferences of the administration.” This includes “operations at the southern border, spending on missile defense and a new generation of nuclear weapons, acquisition of submarines, and certain categories of drones and other munitions.”

In other words, our military will remain fully funded in order to carry out its primary mission, which is defending the United States from our enemies.

“This doesn’t mean the Pentagon is immune from a Department of Government Efficiency exam,” explains the Wall Street Journal editorial board. “Mr. Hegseth mentioned nixing climate-change programs, and good riddance. How about also closing the military grocery stores that cost taxpayers more than $1 billion annually?”

They add, “Or put a ‘For Sale by Elon Musk’ sign on military golf courses and negotiate a discount for troops at the local links instead. Trim billets for noncombat positions in, say, public affairs. The really big savings would come from rationalizing the Pentagon’s health and retirement benefits.”

Although one might make a reasonable argument for using military dollars for health and retirement, other examples of reckless and wasteful spending need to be considered.

Jim Fein writes at The Heritage Foundation, “In October 2024, a two-year audit by the DoD Office of Inspector General (DoDIG) revealed that Boeing, a major defense contractor, overcharged the Air Force by nearly 8,000 percent to obtain spare parts for the C-17 Globemaster III (a soap dispenser, believe it or not), leading the Air Force to overpay it by $149,072.”

Fein adds, “Unless Air Force coffee gives pilots superhuman abilities, the idea that it needs $1,500 FAA-certified coffee cups is insane and an insult to taxpayers. A more efficient Department of Defense should be able to protect the U.S. without squandering funds on overpriced equipment and unnecessary expenditures. One way to do this is by expanding the use of fixed-price contracting.”

Trump is examining the Pentagon in the same way he scrutinizes other government agencies. These aren’t blind cuts but targeted audits to determine where unnecessary spending occurs or where money might be spent more efficiently. Trump has promised to rebuild America’s military, so he’s really trying to get the most out of every dollar the Pentagon spends.

The Left continues to expose how out of touch it is with reality. Ingrid Jacques writes at USA Today, “From NPR to CNN, the legacy news media has searched for ‘threatened’ federal employees, telling their sob stories as if no one has ever faced uncertain employment before.”

In any case, the majority of Americans like what they’re seeing. A recent Harvard-Harris poll reveals that “70% of voters say government expenditures are filled with waste, fraud, and inefficiency,” and “69% support the goal of cutting $1 trillion of government expenditures.”

Reducing our national debt is a can that’s been kicked down the road for far too long by Democrats and Republicans alike. As servicing the debt now exceeds the entire Pentagon budget, we’re running out of time. President Trump, Elon Musk, and DOGE must immediately address our debt while ensuring our most necessary and critical government services are funded.