Defense chief Pete Hegseth was on Capitol Hill Tuesday to sell a reconciliation package to lawmakers as President Donald Trump’s Pentagon budget request for fiscal year 2027 appears on the verge of unraveling.
“I’ve just met with Secretary Hegseth and he said the Pentagon needs $350 billion in the short-term but $1.5 trillion in the long-term,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told reporters. “I’m going to be doing everything I can to support that effort.”
Hegseth did not answer any questions from reporters.
The Pentagon requested an unprecedented $1.5 trillion for the next fiscal year. The $350 billion in that request …