Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper discusses stalled U.S.-Iran negotiations. the potential use of a hypersonic weapon as tensions escalate on ‘Fox News Live.’
The Pentagon's massive $1.5 trillion budget request will face its first test Tuesday as House lawmakers quiz Department of War SecretaryPete Hegsethabout the proposal in a high-stakes hearing.
Democrats. some Republicans have raised concerns about the unprecedented size of the request, which wouldincrease defense funding by nearly 50%from 2026 levels while making cuts to domestic spending.
The Trump administration argues the jump in defense spending is necessary to counter threats from geopolitical adversaries. advance the president’s priorities, including replenishing weapons stockpiles and expanding the defense industrial base.
Hegseth is also expected to face questions on the administration's military strategy towardIranas peace talks remain stalled between Washington. Tehran. Trump said Monday that the ceasefire with Iran is "on life support" during a news conference in the Oval Office.
President Donald Trump said Monday. the ceasefire with Iran is "on life support" as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shuttered.(U.S. Navy via Getty Images; Salwan Georges/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
TRUMP CALLS FOR $1.5T DEFENSE BUDGET TO BUILD ‘DREAM MILITARY’
Chairman of theJoint Chiefs of StaffGen. Dan Caine and Pentagon comptroller Jules Hurst will testify alongside Hegseth at the House Appropriations Committee hearing.
The anticipated testimony follows back-to-back congressional hearings the trio participated in April. during which Hegseth repeatedly clashed with Democrats over the U.S. military campaign against Iran.
"The biggest challenge, the biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless,. defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans," Hegseth told lawmakers.
Hurst testified to Congress in April that the Iran war hascost $25 billion so far,mostly for munitions. though multiple reports say the total could be far higher. The Department of War is expected to seek a defense supplemental request following the conclusion of the conflict. which could be much larger in scope.
"It's shocking how deep we have gone into these magazines," Sen.Mark Kelly,D-Ariz. said on CBS News’ "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "Because this president got our country into this without a strategic goal, without a plan, without a timeline,. because of that, we've expended a lot of munitions, and that means the American people are less safe."
Hegseth accused the Arizona Democrat of divulging classified information and pledged to have the Pentagon’s legal counsel review his remarks.
"Did he violate his oath…again?" Hegseth wrote on social media. referring to his attempts to sanction Kelly, a Navy veteran, for advising troops to ignore illegal orders last year.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth. his wife, Jennifer, arrive at the House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Department of War fiscal 2027 budget request in the Rayburn Building on April 29, 2026.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc.)
$1,300 COFFEE CUPS, 8,000% OVERPAY FOR SOAP DISPENSERS SHOW WASTE AS DOGE LOCKS IN ON PENTAGON
The Pentagon's budget request is expected to face an uphill battle with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.,. other Democrats vowing to ensure it "never passes." Any defense spending bill would require some Democratic votes to pass the Senate due to the upper chamber's 60-vote legislative filibuster.
Kelly has slammed the fiscal year 2027 budget request as "outrageous". called on the administration to submit a new budget that "makes sense for the moment we're in."
"When I got to the Senate five. a half years ago, thedefense budgetwas just over $700 billion," Kelly told CBS News’ "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "Now, they're asking for twice as much money. It's nearly the amount that the rest of the world pays for its defense."
The Pentagon’s request would allocate more than $65 billion for the Navy’s "Golden Fleet" initiative. nearly $20 billion for Trump’s Golden Dome air defense shield. The administration also proposes spending billions on the next-generation F-47 Air Force fighter jet and unmanned weapons systems.
On the non-defense side, the administration’s budget request would slash funding for the State Department. international programs by a third and the Environmental Protection Agency by 50%, among other agencies.
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., speaks to members of the media outside federal court in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg)
At least one pressure point that Hegseth faced overUkrainein April is off the table.
The Pentagon chief announced in late April. the administration released $400 million in Ukraine money that Congress approved in 2025. Hegseth was grilled about the delay in transferring aid to the country during his appearance before the House Armed Services Committee in April.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of War for comment.
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