Sales pitch falls flat

Hegseth’s budget sales pitch falls flat with GOP lawmakers

Some of the president’s biggest supporters in Congress expressed concern about the impact of increased military spending on the national debt.

By Leo Shane III

Top Republicans appeared skeptical Wednesday of the Pentagon’s record-breaking budget request, despite their desire to increase defense spending and a personal plea from Pete Hegseth.

Members of the Republican Study Committee — the House conservative caucus that includes some of President Donald Trump’s fiercest advocates on Capitol Hill — expressed concerns after a meeting with the Defense secretary that another $350 billion boost would surge federal spending and the national debt.

The pushback complicates Republican leaders’ efforts to respond to Trump’s call for a $1.5 trillion defense budget next year, which would require near unanimous support from GOP lawmakers. The administration wants to combine the $350 billion with a $1.1 trillion base defense budget, raising defense spending up 42 percent from current levels.

“I get the need, but what are the pay-fors?” said Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas).“That’s my big question in all of this.”

Hegseth’s hourlong meeting with the GOP House members follows similar sit-downs with Republican senators last week on budget issues. Wednesday’s meeting largely focused on the administration’s push for another budget reconciliation bill to pass the $350 billion. Congressional leaders could do it without Democratic votes, but they would need to have nearly all Republicans on board.

Congress approved $150 billion in extra Pentagon spending last year as part of another reconciliation measure: the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act.

Lawmakers who met with Hegseth on Wednesday said the reconciliation money would provide more funds for munitions upgrades, modernization efforts and cutting-edge defenses such as the Golden Dome initiative.

He took only a few questions from lawmakers, they said, and limited discussion of the Iran war to the costs of the conflict and the controversial peace deal Trump signed last week.

But his message to Republican lawmakers didn’t provide immediate dividends. Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) said he would support the extra $350 billion only if it were paired with other policy priorities, such as voting reforms and “the complete defunding of Planned Parenthood.”

“And it would be helpful if [the Defense Department] could pass an audit,” he added.

House Armed Services Committee member Rick McCormick (R-Ga.) said he also wants to see some of the military windfall offset by government program cuts. But he acknowledged that many of those trade-offs may make the package harder to pass through Congress.

Some Republicans who attended insisted the boost was necessary.

“We’re competing with China, so we need to build our military up,” said Sen. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), a member of the House Armed Services Committee. “So we need to get this money.”

Hegseth, who declined to speak to reporters after the meeting, wrote in a New York Post editorial this week that the “future of America’s economic and fiscal health depends on” fully funding the White House spending request.

Trump this month issued an ultimatum to congressional Republicans to pass the $350 billion in extra defense funding “immediately.” But any bill is likely to take several weeks to wind through the House and Senate, even if leaders can marshall enough support.

The House Appropriations Committee is expected to advance the $1.1 trillion base budget plan for the Pentagon late Wednesday. The full House could vote on the measure early next month, but Senate lawmakers have yet to unveil their defense funding drafts.