Early this week, the Trump administration released details from the president’s bold federal budget proposal. The plan would increase military spending by a historic percentage while cutting the budgets of other agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency.

On Tuesday, retired Col. Lawrence “Larry” Wilkerson, who once served as Colin Powell’s chief of staff, joined Paul Jay, senior editor of The Real News Network, to talk about the proposed $54 billion increase in military spending.

America “needs a substantial cut in the military budget,” Wilkerson said on an episode of The Real News. “We simply don’t have the money to do all of this.” He called Trump’s military spending plan “disastrous” and “absurd.”

Wilkerson and Jay also discussed how President Trump is keeping a promise to voters with this budget proposal, and Wilkerson used his own experience to highlight how the military-industrial complex is influencing Trump’s policy.

Watch the full interview below:

—Posted by Emma Niles

WAIT, BEFORE YOU GO…

If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.

Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.

SUPPORT TRUTHDIG