Mattis and Lawmakers Press Trump for Higher Defense Spending
- Inhofe says Trump may not have ‘clearly thought’ plan through
- Defense nominee says cut would be ‘downgrading the military’
James Mattis
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Defense Secretary James Mattis and the chairmen of the congressional Armed Services committees urged President Donald Trump in a White House meeting to abandon a proposed $33 billion cut from the $733 billion national security budget the Pentagon sought for fiscal 2020.
Mattis, Senate Armed Services Chairman Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma and House Armed Services Chairman Mac Thornberry of Texas met with the president on Tuesday afternoon, according to Inhofe and a Pentagon official.