Waste of the Day: DOD “Wish Lists” Continue

Topline: President Donald Trump’s $1.5 trillion budget request for the military is by far the largest in U.S. history, but under a law passed during Trump’s first administration, the Pentagon is required to tell Congress it’s too low.

Wish lists required by law since 2017

The Army, Navy and Air Force submitted unfunded priority lists totaling $3 billion for fiscal year 2027, according to Breaking Defense. Often referred to as “wish lists,” the reports ask Congress to fund additional items not included in the president’s budget request.

Key facts: The Pentagon began submitting wish lists in the 1990s. In 2017, it became a law that each branch of the military must create one. 

Congress typically funds almost every item on the lists, but critics have long highlighted them as a source of fiscal waste. The projects are ones that both the president and the secretary of defense already decided were not worth including in their funding requests. Mike McCord, the Pentagon’s comptroller under President Joe Biden, tried to end the practice.

This year’s lists include only construction projects and are small compared to previous years. Last year’s wish lists totaled more than $50 billion and included weapons, research projects and more.

It does appear there’s a loophole in which the Pentagon doesn’t actually need to include anything on its list.

The Air Force submitted the largest list, with 41 construction projects worth $1.7 billion. But the Marines, Space Force, Africa Command and several other branches submitted empty unfunded priority lists, telling Congress that Trump’s budget request already includes all the resources they need.

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Increased military budget

Background: The military budget would increase by 44% next year if Congress passes the president’s budget request without changes.

Even though the request asks Congress to make cuts at other departments, it would still increase the government’s overall discretionary budget by 19%. That would be the second-largest increase on record going back to 1962, aside from 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

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Summary: Santa Claus can afford to be overly generous and deliver every item on a wish list, but a government with limited resources might need to rethink its process.

This article was originally published by RealClearInvestigations and made available via RealClearWire.