President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are pushing congressional Republicans to pass $350 billion in defense spending through budget reconciliation, a procedural maneuver that would sidestep the 60-vote threshold normally required in the Senate. Trump called on Congress Wednesday night to “IMMEDIATELY” advance the bill, which would supplement his administration’s $1.15 trillion base defense budget request for fiscal 2027.
Hegseth has been actively lobbying House Republicans, holding at least two separate meetings in recent days to sell the proposal. On Thursday, he met with senior House Republicans at the Pentagon, including Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington and Republican Study Committee Chair August Pfluger, to push the military funding portion of what Trump calls “Recon 3.0.”
The $350 billion reconciliation package would fund major Pentagon priorities including the Golden Dome missile defense system, a new “Golden Fleet” for the Navy, the F-47 fighter jet, the B-21 bomber, munitions replenishment, and investments in space and drone capabilities. Trump also wants to pair the defense bill with the SAVE America Act, his stalled voter identification legislation.
Senate Republicans Resist the Push
Despite Trump’s pressure, Senate Republicans are expressing deep skepticism about a third reconciliation bill this Congress. Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said Tuesday, “I think it’s safe to conclude there will not be another reconciliation bill, so it’s really not an option.” Senator Susan Collins of Maine agreed with that assessment during the same hearing.
Republican senators are exhausted after an overnight, 18-hour series of votes last week to pass a $70 billion immigration enforcement reconciliation bill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune gave a lukewarm endorsement, saying Republicans remain “open to using reconciliation if we make the calculation that we can achieve an outcome” with 50 Senate votes and 218 House votes, but added, “at the moment I’m not sure what that is.”
Budget reconciliation is a legislative process that allows Congress to pass certain tax and spending measures with a simple majority in the Senate, bypassing the 60-vote filibuster threshold. However, it is limited to changes in mandatory spending, revenue, and the debt limit, and each chamber must pass identical legislation. The process has become central to Trump’s defense strategy after two prior reconciliation bills this Congress focused on tax cuts and immigration enforcement.
The Broader Fiscal Challenge
The $1.5 trillion total defense budget Trump is seeking represents a historic increase. According to the White House, the $350 billion reconciliation component would represent roughly 23 percent of the total defense request. Fiscal hawks in the GOP are concerned about the need for offsets—spending cuts elsewhere—to comply with reconciliation rules, a prospect that could force vulnerable incumbents to vote for unpopular safety-net reductions just months before the November midterm elections.
Democrats are also unlikely to support the measure. Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed warned that Democrats should not “subsidize” a military conflict with Iran through a supplemental spending bill until Congress votes to authorize continued military action. The U.S. conflict in Iran, now past its 100-day mark, cost roughly $29 billion as of early May according to Pentagon officials, though the administration has not released updated figures since then.
The administration has also signaled it may request an additional $80 billion to $100 billion supplemental funding to replenish munitions and maintain military readiness following operations in Iran and Venezuela, though that request has not yet been formally submitted to Congress.
Sources
- Politico — Trump’s June 10 demand for $350 billion in defense spending via reconciliation, with details on the bill’s contents and Senate Republican skepticism
- The Hill — Trump and Hegseth’s lobbying efforts with House Republicans as of June 14, including meetings at the Pentagon and the supplemental funding strategy
- C-SPAN — McConnell and Collins’ statements on June 9 ruling out a third reconciliation bill
- Federal News Network — Senate appropriators’ opposition to a third reconciliation package
- Bipartisan Policy Center — Explanation of how the budget reconciliation process works
