February 11, 2011
The Breakdown: In an Age of Austerity, Can’t the US Cut the Military Budget?
The US maintains the most expansive and expensive military on the planet. More than half of the annual budget goes towards "defense." But in the ongoing debates about the appropriate austerity measures to take, cuts to military spending have been insufficiently prioritized.
On this week’s edition of The Breakdown, D.C. Editor Chris Hayes and Institute for Policy Studies Research Fellow Miriam Pemberton discuss just how much the US could afford to cut Pentagon spending while maintaining its status as the dominant military force in the world.
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Further reading
Articles | May 27, 2026
The U.S. Military is Intensifying Hawai'i's Housing Affordability Crisis
Military demand for housing caused rents to increase an estimated 7.1 percent in 2024 alone, causing Hawai’i’s residents to spend an extra $234.8 million on rent.
Articles | May 27, 2026
Lawmakers Press to Eliminate Private Jet Travel Subsidies
The Stop Subsidizing Private Jets Act of 2026 would close loopholes in Trump's tax codes that allow billionaires to write off planes as business expenses.
Articles | May 27, 2026
The Member of the Reagan Brass who Became a Pentagon Critic
The late Lawrence Korb spent the latter part of his life fighting for cuts to the Pentagon budget.
