House Passes $1.15 Trillion Defense Bill as Pentagon Seeks 44% Jump to Nearly $1.5 Trillion
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 23
House Passes $1.15 Trillion Defense Bill as Pentagon Seeks 44% Jump to Nearly $1.5 Trillion
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 23
Summary
A 216-212 House vote approved a $1.15 trillion slice of the White House military request, but the broader Pentagon push still faces steep Senate resistance.
Pete Hegseth is pressing for nearly $1.5 trillion in 2027 defense spending—a $454 billion, 44% increase—while separately seeking emergency money for the Iran war.
At a Senate hearing, Hegseth asked for $67 billion in 2026 emergency defense funds and put the Iran war's cost at $37.5 billion through Sept. 30, suggesting operations could continue for months.
Senators also questioned why $75 billion from last year's $156 billion Pentagon increase remains unobligated, with Hegseth unable to provide detailed spending plans.
The budget fight is unusually contentious because the administration is pairing wartime funding with a historic base-budget expansion, including $58.5 billion for AI and about $20 billion for the Pentagon's strategic capital office.