Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama stirred up attention when he coined a new term while discussing the Pentagon’s budget on Fox News.
The Republican lawmaker was advocating for budget cuts in the Department of Defense when he referred to the Pentagon as needing a “trigon” rather than its iconic five-sided shape.
Tuberville’s Bold Statement on Pentagon Budget Cuts
During a Fox News appearance on Wednesday night, Tuberville discussed the Pentagon’s massive budget amid the Trump administration’s push for federal spending cuts.
The conversation took an unexpected turn when anchor Laura Ingraham asked him whether the Defense Department should face cuts.
Tuberville’s response was nothing short of surprising.
“We have to start in the Pentagon. We need to make a trigon – three sides instead of five sides of the Pentagon,” Tuberville said.
He went on to call the Pentagon “way too big, way over-bloated,” emphasizing the need for budget reductions at the department.
Defending Spending Cuts in the Defense Department
Tuberville’s comments come on the heels of the House passing a budget plan that includes an additional $100 billion for defense spending over the next decade.
However, the Pentagon’s current budget, which sits at about $850 billion, has come under scrutiny after failing seven audits in a row.
In his discussion, Tuberville pointed out the massive workforce at the Pentagon, arguing that there are “30, 40,000 in the Pentagon and 100,000 people across the street in Arlington” who are “making tons of money.”
He further stressed the importance of cutting back on excess spending to better support military operations.
“We have to cut back and do it for the warfighter,” Tuberville said, urging that resources should be used more effectively to build the necessary military equipment.
Tuberville Praises Trump’s Defense Secretary and Military Efficiency
As part of his broader argument for cuts, Tuberville praised President Trump’s new Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, and claimed that the Pentagon could achieve necessary reductions.
“We can get the cuts, but we need to continue to do what Pete has done: cut out all the bloat and all the DEI,” Tuberville said, referring to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within the military.
Tuberville’s focus was on restructuring the military to make it a more effective, combat-ready force, saying, “Get our military back to a killing machine.
Somebody that can protect this country and our allies.”
Hegseth’s Approach to Cutting Waste in the Pentagon
Hegseth, who recently took over as Defense Secretary, has also made headlines for his plans to root out waste, fraud, and abuse within the military.
In a recent video, Hegseth explained how the Pentagon would use Elon Musk’s DOGE initiative to target inefficiencies, particularly within the military’s headquarters.
With DOGE, the goal is to focus on eliminating waste at the top levels and redirect funds to more essential military needs.
“With DOGE, we are focusing as much as we can on headquarters and fat and top-line stuff that allows us to reinvest elsewhere,” Hegseth said.
In addition to addressing inefficiencies, Hegseth revealed that the Pentagon would begin shifting $50 billion from nonlethal programs to prioritize the defense priorities set by the Trump administration, under the “America First” strategy.