Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday was met with complaints from lawmakers who accused the Pentagon of not providing Congress with sufficient details about the Trump administration’s first proposed defense budget. The Trump administration has said it would total $1 trillion, well above the current spending level of about $800 billion.
Mr. Hegseth testified before the House Appropriations Committee in his first appearance on Capitol Hill since his sometimes acrimonious Senate confirmation hearing.
Rep. Ken Calvert, California Republican, said the U.S. military must be prepared to operate in a complex and uncertain global environment with adversaries like China and Russia pursuing increasingly aggressive actions.
“That preparation requires substantial investments in both personnel and equipment,” he said. “But, we must also be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. Balancing national security priorities with fiscal responsibility is a delicate but necessary task.”
Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, the GOP chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said his primary responsibility in Congress is to ensure that taxpayer dollars are allocated wisely and efficiently to safeguard the nation’s security. He said he was particularly interested in the current state of the defense industrial base and what steps are being taken to address any shortfalls.
“I want to address the modernization of our military capabilities. It takes us too long to acquire new weapons systems. Meanwhile, our adversaries are developing advanced technologies,” Mr Cole said. “We must surrender our technological edge or allow our forces to be underequipped and outgunned.”
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Mr. Hegseth thanked Congress for the bipartisan backing of a 10.5% pay raise for the most junior military personnel along with other initiatives intended to improve the quality of their lives. He said the Pentagon is making “historic investments” in improving the living conditions in barracks and base housing and reforming how military personnel are transferred to new duty assignments.
“I know how it feels to face those challenges. I’ve been there recently. Each of these initiatives responds to feedback that I’ve received from the force,” Mr. Hegseth said. “I’ll keep listening and looking for ways to improve their quality of life.”
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Connecticut Democrat, snapped at Mr. Hegseth over what she said was a scarcity of information about funding for Navy submarines and the lag in America’s shipbuilding capability. The subcommittee would be forced to review, debate and amend the bill — known as marking up — with no details about how the Pentagon intends to implement it.
“What is your plan for the future? Can we get that in writing and on paper so that we know where you’re going?” Ms. DeLauro asked. “We don’t have anything today. We have zip, nada, in knowing where you’re going.”
She said it would be unacceptable for the committee to move forward with a defense funding bill without the necessary information. If the process can’t be finished in time, Congress and the White House risk yet another wasteful and inefficient continuing resolution, she said.
“Defense is the largest portion of our discretionary budget. Yet, you have still not sent this committee a complete budget request,” Ms. DeLauro said.
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Much of the questioning during the hearing was over the military’s response to the ongoing demonstrations in Los Angeles. Committee Democrats uniformly condemned the Trump administration’s decision to send in Army National Guard soldiers and active-duty Marines to protect federal facilities under siege by protestors.
The lawmakers touched only briefly on controversial issues that previously dominated the news cycle, such as the firing of top military officials, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Navy’s chief of Naval Operations. Also, there was no discussion over Mr. Hegseth’s use of the Signal messaging app to discuss U.S. military strikes in Yemen.
Rep. Betty McCollum, a Minnesota Democrat, questioned him about the deployment of some 700 Marines to Los Angeles to assist more than 4,100 Army National Guard soldiers protecting federal buildings and personnel.
“The president’s decision to call the National Guard troops to Los Angeles was premature. The decision to deploy active-duty Marines as well is downright escalatory,” she said. “The active duty military has absolutely no role in domestic law enforcement, and they are not trained for those missions.”
The troops are expected to be in the Los Angeles area for at least 60 days. Pentagon officials said the operation is expected to cost about $134 million.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.