As some defense hawks eye a massive influx of defense dollars in a possible forthcoming reconciliation measure, initial reactions from defense appropriators and authorizers have been mixed, foreshadowing what could be a rocky road to achieving President Donald Trump’s stated goal of a $1.5 trillion defense budget in 2027.
In comments to Breaking Defense this week, House Armed Services Chairman Mike D. Rogers, R-Ala., said he and his Senate counterpart, Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., would like to see Congress enact a second reconciliation package that includes $450 billion for national security to supplement the fiscal 2027 defense budget.
“[Rogers and I] are of the same mind that we need substantial plus ups, some of it may occur in reconciliation, and a good bit of it in the traditional means,” Wicker said Thursday, and indicated that he would support a second reconciliation effort.
