Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was on Capitol Hill on Wednesday for a closed-door meeting with Republicans, trying to sell them on the importance of passing a third reconciliation bill and a supplemental as well to increase the defense budget to approximately $1.5 trillion.
The initial defense request calls for roughly $1 trillion in defense spending for fiscal 2027, while the administration is also supporting both a reconciliation package for roughly $350 billion more and an $80 billion supplemental to cover the costs of the Iran war.
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“We had a really good substantive discussion,” said Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, which hosted the luncheon. “The secretary is pushing very hard for us in Congress to make that investment. We know that this is important.”
Hegseth’s presentation to Republicans in attendance was “very sharp,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) told the Washington Examiner.
Bacon, a retired Air Force brigadier general, said he’s supportive of the reconciliation and supplemental because he believes the United States needs to increase its defense spending.
“Right now, we spend 3.2% of our GDP on defense, which is historically very low. You can’t recapitalize your nuclear force, sixth-generation aircraft, and ships, and take care of your troops at 3.2%. So we got to be at least be over 4%, 5% preferably, because that’s what we’re asking our NATO allies to do as well. So I’m generally supportive — I’m mean, I’m not a blank check on this,” he said. “I believe we need $80 billion, first of all, to resupply weapons, so I’m a supporter of that.”
Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) told the Washington Examiner he’s cautiously optimistic about the new reconciliation bill and suggested there could be offsetting cuts to “several” programs. Some lawmakers have indicated that their support for additional defense spending would be tied to other cuts.
The secretary did not take questions from reporters after the closed-door session concluded, but was later spotted heading into House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) office in the Capitol. Hegseth also made the case for why Congress has to pass the reconciliation and supplemental bills in a recent op-ed for the New York Post and has made multiple trips to Capitol Hill to persuade lawmakers.
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It’s unclear how likely it is that either will get passed. The supplement would require 60 votes in the Senate and could be unpalatable for lawmakers who did not support the war. The reconciliation bill would only need a simple majority, but some Republicans have expressed skepticism about its chances and timeline.
“I think it’s safe to conclude there will not be another reconciliation bill,” Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), chairman of the appropriations defense subcommittee, said earlier this month.
There are questions about the military’s existing stockpiles of critical munitions that predate the Iran war, which has furthered the concern. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to boost munitions production. He is expected to meet with defense leaders on Wednesday at the White House.
“The United States Military has more than enough munitions, ammo, and stockpiles to serve all of President Trump’s strategic goals and beyond, and Operation Epic Fury has exposed what happens when you mess with the United States,” Anna Kelly, a White House spokeswoman, told the Washington Examiner. “Even still, the President has urged our defense contractors to constantly produce more made-in-America weapons, which are the best in the world. Democrats destroyed our military, but President Trump rebuilt it.”
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Hegseth, for his part, has said, “The munitions issue has been foolishly and unhelpfully overstated,” but he has also acknowledged that it could take years for certain weapons to be replaced. The secretary has said that the ultimate objective of this funding is to increase the military’s stockpiles exponentially.
McCormick noted, “We want more munitions. We want to replenish everything we spent. Doesn’t mean we don’t have enough munitions. I promise you, we have enough to obliterate the entire country” of Iran.
