Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is struggling to drum up congressional support for a mammoth $1.5 trillion budget request to run the Pentagon next year amid unease over the Iran war, according to a report.
Semafor reports that the secretary is “running into a wall of congressional GOP resistance” in the Senate as he seeks to secure the funding, with his fellow Republicans unhappy about the progress of the war, the mass firings he has carried out at the Department of Defense and his failure to cultivate relationships on Capitol Hill.
Hegseth needs to convince 50 members of the chamber to support his request but could struggle even with a 53 to 47 GOP majority, especially given that he cannot count on Democrats to make up any shortfall.
His request represents a 40 percent increase on this year’s budget and includes a separate $88 billion needed to cover costs against the war.
Operation Epic Fury began on February 28 and has now dragged on for seven months despite President Donald Trump’s assurances, a huge expense that has cost American lives and resources, seen U.S. allies attacked in retaliation and driven up domestic gas prices thanks to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, hitting consumers already struggling with an affordability crisis.
The conflict’s deep unpopularity threatens to harm Republican prospects at the midterms, which could make it even harder for Hegseth to get his request approved if rival Democrats manage to eat into the GOP’s majorities in the twin houses of Congress come November 3.
An unnamed GOP senator told Semafor: “There are a lot of people that are really upset with the war in Iran and how it’s being played out.
“We feel it’s hurting our chances in the elections in the fall, and it seems rather haphazard. We don’t like what we’re seeing when it comes to the pulling of officers off of the promotion lists. We don’t like what we see with… indiscriminate firings of admirals and generals across the force.”
A Trump administration official told the outlet: “This could turn into a real standoff with the military caught in the middle.
“The implications: There won’t be money available to pay recruitment bonuses, money to upgrade military housing and repair military housing won’t be there, money to fix ships and aircraft from the war won’t be there, and money to restockpile munitions won’t be there.
“And the longer this drags out, the more dangerous it becomes, because we’re really depleted after the Iran war.”
The official added that Trump “still is very much in Pete’s corner, but beneath him, there are very serious concerns. Are they going to be able to get any additional money through? Are they going to be able to get any nominees confirmed?”
The Independent has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.
Other Republican senators quoted by Semafor urged Hegseth to be more forthcoming with them and work to allay fears over the conflict and address concerns about his leadership.
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said the secretary had not “built strong enough relationships” to get his way, while Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy said Hegseth’s basis for asking for the money – maintaining U.S. military superiority – was legitimate but that he needed “to communicate that better” to Congress.
“You’ve got to come up here and sell your vision to the board of directors of America, which is us,” Sheehy said.
“Everyone has every right to be skeptical… [The Pentagon’s] been almost a symbol of bureaucratic dysfunction. It’s not quite Somali fraud in Minnesota, but it’s been some pretty dumb s*** we spent money on.”
Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy said he believed a party-line budget reconciliation bill was the only way to secure the $1.5 trillion.
“Anybody who thinks that we’re going to get money for the Pentagon, which needs it, other than through reconciliation, needs to put down the bong,” he said.
However, Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, said she dislikes the reconciliation process.
“One of my concerns, which unfortunately has been borne out, was that he would fire a lot of very capable military officials, and he has done that,” she said of Hegseth.
“He has blocked promotions for some of our most capable military officers. The number of women and Black people that had been struck from the list was awful. He also is not the most respectful when it comes to Congress’s role.”
