Pete Hegseth faces Congress over Pentagon's unprecedented $1.5 trillion budget as Democrats vow to block it

The Pentagon's massive $1.5 trillion budget request will face its first test Tuesday as House lawmakers quiz Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth about the proposal in a high-stakes hearing. 

Democrats and some Republicans have raised concerns about the unprecedented size of the request, which would increase 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 and 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 toward Iran as peace talks remain stalled between Washington and 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 that 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)

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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. 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, and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans," Hegseth told lawmakers.

Hurst testified to Congress in April that the Iran war has cost $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, and 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.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer, arrive at the House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Department of Defense fiscal 2027 budget request in the Rayburn Building on April 29, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc.)

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The Pentagon's budget request is expected to face an uphill battle with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and 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" and 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 and a half years ago, the defense budget was 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 and 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 and 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)

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At least one pressure point that Hegseth faced over Ukraine in April is off the table.

The Pentagon chief announced in late April that 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.