{"id":77174,"date":"2025-04-29T20:28:40","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T20:28:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2025\/04\/29\/defense-budget-debate-devolves-into-fight-over-hegseths-controversies\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T16:38:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T16:38:53","slug":"defense-budget-debate-devolves-into-fight-over-hegseths-controversies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/04\/29\/defense-budget-debate-devolves-into-fight-over-hegseths-controversies\/","title":{"rendered":"Defense budget debate devolves into fight over Hegseth\u2019s controversies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House Democrats on Tuesday unsuccessfully tried to turn debate over future years\u2019 military spending into a referendum of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/04\/29\/hegseth-cancels-womens-leadership-program-despite-past-trump-support\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/04\/29\/hegseth-cancels-womens-leadership-program-despite-past-trump-support\/\">Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth\u2019s leadership<\/a>, insisting Congress has failed in its oversight duties <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/04\/25\/hegseth-reportedly-had-unsecured-internet-line-in-office-for-signal\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/04\/25\/hegseth-reportedly-had-unsecured-internet-line-in-office-for-signal\/\">amid numerous Pentagon scandals<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe fact that Secretary Hegseth is still employed is a joke,\u201d House Armed Services Committee member Marilyn Strickland, D-Wash., said during a panel markup on the defense budget boost. \u201cAnd what is more appalling to me is [Republicans\u2019] conspicuous silence. At some point, you have to speak up for the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tuesday\u2019s hearing was scheduled to allow committee members to mark up the defense funding section of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2025\/04\/28\/gop-funding-boost-targets-golden-dome-high-tech-fighters-and-ships\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2025\/04\/28\/gop-funding-boost-targets-golden-dome-high-tech-fighters-and-ships\/\">congressional Republicans\u2019 massive reconciliation bill<\/a>. While the measure calls for steep cuts in a number of federal agencies, the Defense Department would see a $150 billion boost in the plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/04\/29\/hegseth-cancels-womens-leadership-program-despite-past-trump-support\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8991794.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Hegseth cancels women\u2019s leadership program despite past Trump support<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Women, Peace &amp; Security program was signed into law by Trump and had received backing from numerous Republican leaders. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., said the money represents \u201can opportunity to make a generational investment in our national security.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among other priorities, about $9 billion would be set aside for quality-of-life improvements, $34 billion for shipbuilding and maritime industrial base actions, and $5 billion for border security efforts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, committee Democrats expressed concerns with the overall reconciliation plan, and steep reductions in funding for non-defense programs. They also voiced reservations about who will be spending the new defense money in the coming years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe should not give Pete Hegseth a $150 billion blank check,\u201d said Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass. \u201cHeck, I wouldn\u2019t trust the secretary with 20 bucks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead of attacking specifics of the defense plus-up plan, the minority party over four hours of debate offered more than 20 amendments dealing mostly with curbing Hegseth\u2019s authority and investigating his management practices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One measure would have blocked $112 billion in funds until the completion of an investigation into Hegseth\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/04\/21\/hegseth-had-second-signal-chat-with-details-of-yemen-strike-report\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/04\/21\/hegseth-had-second-signal-chat-with-details-of-yemen-strike-report\/\">sharing of sensitive military information<\/a> on his personal cell phone and through the non-government app Signal. Another required <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/03\/26\/obviously-classified-experts-say-hegseth-chat-leaks-invited-danger\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/03\/26\/obviously-classified-experts-say-hegseth-chat-leaks-invited-danger\/\">new training on handling classified information<\/a> for all senior defense officials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another amendment called for written justification for Hegseth\u2019s firing of former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pentagon\/2025\/02\/22\/trump-fires-joint-chiefs-chairman-navy-head-in-dod-leadership-purge\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/pentagon\/2025\/02\/22\/trump-fires-joint-chiefs-chairman-navy-head-in-dod-leadership-purge\/\">Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown<\/a> in February. A proposal from Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., would have barred the Defense Department from using any funds to support a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/04\/23\/hegseth-changes-pentagon-green-room-into-impromptu-makeup-studio\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/04\/23\/hegseth-changes-pentagon-green-room-into-impromptu-makeup-studio\/\"> personal makeup studio for Hegseth<\/a>, an amenity he reportedly renovated off his office earlier this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One amendment would have reduced Hegseth\u2019s salary to $1. One from Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., demanded the defense secretary be forced to resign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/04\/21\/white-house-defends-hegseth-amid-new-signal-accusation-staff-overhaul\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/04\/21\/white-house-defends-hegseth-amid-new-signal-accusation-staff-overhaul\/\">President Donald Trump has continued to voice support for Hegseth<\/a> amid attacks from critics in recent weeks. Hegseth has labeled nearly all of the controversies as left-wing misinformation designed to distract from reforms within the Pentagon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rogers on Tuesday dismissed nearly all of the criticism of Hegseth as off-base and unrelated to the budgetary efforts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of the Democrats\u2019 legislative proposals from the hearing were ultimately adopted by the Republican-majority committee. For most of the day, no more than a few GOP members beyond Rogers were present for the discussion, and none engaged in debate over the attacks on Hegseth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The committee approved the defense portion of the reconciliation plan by a 35-21 final vote, sending it to the full chamber for consideration sometime next month. Five Democrats voted with all the committee Republicans for passage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leaders in both the House and Senate still must negotiate a final draft of the overall bill before the plan can be sent to Trump to become law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, House Democrats promised to keep up the oversight \u2014 and pressure \u2014 on Hegseth in weeks to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe has proven himself to be incompetent, to be reckless, to be paranoid, and he cannot be trusted with the responsibility of our precious resources or the lives of our military men and women,\u201d Houlahan said. \u201cHe needs to go, one way or another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Editor\u2019s note: This story has been updated to correct Rep. Marilyn Strickland\u2019s quote.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Objections over Republican plans to boost defense spending by $150 billion focused largely on the defense secretary&#8217;s leadership. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":109347,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,24,16,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3328],"class_list":["post-77174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"NNREKD5Y3FATDBYNJBOAGDQD74","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/04\/29\/defense-budget-debate-devolves-into-fight-over-hegseths-controversies\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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