US Army defends military parade, wanted by Trump

US Army leaders have defended spending as much as $US45 million ($A69 million) to add a parade to the service's 250th birthday celebration in Washington, saying it will help boost recruitment, as Congress members argue the money could be better spent on other priorities.

Spending for the parade has become a flashpoint since it comes at a time when the Trump administration is slashing funding for personnel and programs across the federal government, including the Defense Department.

Members of the House Armed Services Committee also said they are concerned the Defense Department is shifting about $1 billion from a variety of accounts — including base housing — to cover the costs of shoring up the defence of the southern border.

While the Army has long planned for a festival on the National Mall to celebrate its 250th birthday on June 14, the parade was just recently added.

President Donald Trump has long wanted a military parade in the city, after seeing an elaborate one in France on Bastille Day during his first presidential term, and June 14 is also his birthday.

US Democrat Salud Carbajal, questioned whether the additional cost of the parade was appropriate since all the military services are facing 8 per cent budget cuts, and said perhaps it could be used to improve troops' quality of life or warfighting capabilities.

Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll replied that the parade offers a chance to tell the public about the Army. "I believe very specifically that telling that story will directly lead to a recruiting boom and will fill up our pipeline for the coming years," he said.

At the same time, he and Gen. Randy George, chief of staff of the Army, told lawmakers the service has now met its recruiting goal for the year — with 61,000 recruits. Army officials have predicted for months that they would hit the target early after making a series of changes to recruiting programs, recruiters and policies over the past several years.

That prompted congress member Wesley Bell, to ask why the parade was needed for recruiting if it's already surging.

House members on both sides of the aisle pressed the Army about a recent request to shift money from across the budget to support the southern border.

The biggest concern, they said, is that it takes money away from base housing, which has been plagued with persistent problems, including mould, rodents and raw sewage in barracks.