If congress appropriates the money the president is required to spend it on the things that congress wants[1].
1.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impoundment_of_appropriated_fu...
1.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impoundment_of_appropriated_fu...
We may have a situation where the military really wants the equipment, but isn't permitted to admit it. They follow orders. The orders, coming down from the president, are that the military is to claim that they don't want the equipment.
Example: the military really wanted the F-22, then we got a new president, and suddenly the military isn't interested in the F-22
The military is not free to speak.