POGO report reveals U.S. military spending is far higher than officially reported
A report co-authored by the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) estimates that total U.S. military spending was at least $1.5 trillion in fiscal year 2025, significantly higher than the official Pentagon budget of approximately $1.1 trillion. The report identifies hundreds of billions in military spending hidden across at least 17 other government agencies, including the Department of Energy's nuclear weapons budget and Treasury Department military retiree costs. Both articles warn that if Trump's proposed budget increases pass, total military spending could reach $2 trillion to $3 trillion.
17
Divergence score
2 outlets covered it, splitting into 2 framing camps across 1 bias group.
2 camps
1 bias group
The spectrum · how 2 outlets placed this story
LeftCenterRight
The Intercept
Mother Jones
Horizontal = outlet biasColor = this story's framing
Supportive of action
Neutral
Dismissive
Critical
Alarmist
International angle
Widest split · the two outlets furthest apart, and who published first
Furthest apart on this story
The Intercept
The Pentagon's Secret Budget
methodological deep-dive on hidden spending · negative
Mother Jones
Think Trump's $1.5 Trillion Pentagon Request Is Outrageous? This'll Blow Your Mind.
political outrage framing with polling context · negative
By each outlet's earliest publish time in this story. Feeds that index slowly can appear later than they printed.
The split, in one line
Both outlets share the same thesis, the true military budget is hidden across agencies, but The Intercept emphasizes methodology and data sources while Mother Jones foregrounds public opposition and the Iran War.
How each outlet covered it
Lightly covered so far
Too few outlets to map a left-right split. Here is each take as it stands.
Sparse coverage · 2 outlets
TIThe InterceptLEFT8d ago
“The Pentagon's Secret Budget”
MJMother JonesLEFT8d ago
“Think Trump's $1.5 Trillion Pentagon Request Is Outrageous? This'll Blow Your Mind.”
10 tracked claims across 2 outlets
Fact ledger
All10Claimed5Corroborated5
2/2
Claimed
Trump's official Pentagon budget request is $1.5 trillion for the next year
