Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the White House’s proposed defense budget for fiscal 2026 is insufficient for the challenges facing the country.

The budget request as constructed will not deliver a “military capable of maintaining deterrence and applying force when necessary to protect U.S. interests,” Wicker said during his opening remarks of a hearing with the secretary on Wednesday.