Senate Sends Trump Defense Bill With 'Arbitrary' Cuts That May Not Save Money

The Senate on Wednesday sent to President Trump’s desk an annual defense policy bill that included language setting up several Pentagon agencies to slash their operations by 25 percent over the next few years. The cuts were a controversial piece of the fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, with the Senate not including them in its version of the bill but ultimately accepting the provision in the final compromise legislation agreed to by a conference committee. Even before the bill’s passage, the Trump administration had started to prepare for such reductions. Former officials who worked on streamlining back-office functions questioned the proposal, however, calling the goals arbitrary and potentially risking mission-critical work.