{"id":654,"date":"2026-06-24T20:11:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T20:11:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=654"},"modified":"2026-06-24T20:11:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T20:11:45","slug":"hegseths-defense-spending-pitch-leaves-house-gop-without-clear-path","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=654","title":{"rendered":"Hegseth\u2019s Defense Spending Pitch Leaves House GOP Without Clear Path"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Republicans walked out of their meeting Wednesday with no clear path forward for the party to pass the administration\u2019s $1.5 trillion Pentagon spending request.<\/p>\n

Read more Kash Patel\u2019s Country Singer Girlfriend Defends Spot in Trump\u2019s Fair Lineup<\/a><\/p>\n

Hegseth\u2019s classified briefing for the Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus of House conservatives, was an attempt to unify the defense and fiscal hawks behind a defense funding surge that includes more than $1 trillion through regular spending bills, $350 billion through the Republican-only reconciliation process and nearly $80 billion in supplemental spending for the Iran war and more.<\/p>\n

There appeared to be little movement toward gaining the votes Hegseth and Trump officials need to pass the measures. Instead, several lawmakers made clear what they needed to see from the administration before pledging their support.Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska) said he backed the Pentagon\u2019s push to increase defense spending, but would not vote for a defense-heavy reconciliation bill until there\u2019s a plan to replace 5,000 troops Hegseth pulled back<\/u><\/span> from Eastern Europe.\u201cHe made an effective case down there, and I support it,\u201d Bacon said of Hegseth. \u201cThat said, there are other things that we\u2019re looking for too. \u2026 If you want my vote, you\u2019d better replace that brigade in Poland.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each piece of the funding package faces distinct political hurdles<\/u><\/span>. Democrats are unlikely to provide the Senate votes needed to pass an Iran-related supplemental, while a third reconciliation bill \u2014 a party-line measure that senior Republicans say<\/u><\/span> isn\u2019t likely to come together \u2014 would require near-total unity from House Republicans, a caucus with a narrow majority and deep divisions over how deeply to cut domestic programs to pay for increased Pentagon spending.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to see the package first, and the pay-fors,\u201d said Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas), referring to the non-defense cuts to offset new defense spending.<\/p>\n

The politics of cutting safety-net programs popular with many voters are treacherous for front-line Republicans, especially moderates, ahead of November\u2019s midterm elections. But not all Republicans demanded deep cuts before committing to the Pentagon funding.<\/p>\n

Rep. Carlos Gimenez \u2014 a Republican from Florida, home to 5.2 million Medicaid recipients \u2014 appeared sensitive to making deep cuts to programs and said he wants what he called \u201ceasy\u201d reductions to \u201cthings that are non-essential and are wasteful spending.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Thom Tillis Regrets His Vote to Confirm Pete Hegseth<\/a><\/p>\n

Cuts, he added, were not a prerequisite for new defense spending. \u201cThe security of the United States is foremost in my mind, and we have to spend what we have to spend in order to secure the United States,\u201d he told NOTUS.<\/p>\n

With the bipartisan unpopularity<\/u><\/span> of the Iran war as a backdrop, Rep. Kevin Kiley, an independent from California who caucuses with House Republicans, told reporters reconciliation wasn\u2019t a prudent avenue for achieving the defense spending goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially when we are talking about issues of national security and defense, we\u2019ll get better policy if we do it in a bipartisan way,\u201d Kiley said.<\/p>\n

For all the talk of roadblocks and hurdles, at least one Republican lawmaker says the short-term noise is likely to give way to voting success down the line.<\/p>\n

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tennessee), a conservative fiscal hawk who said he had questions about the Pentagon\u2019s plans to pass an audit, predicted to NOTUS after the briefing that fellow Republicans will acquiesce after Hegseth was \u201cpersuasive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re gonna talk tough,\u201d Burchett said of the party\u2019s holdouts on Iran funding. \u201cBut most of them are going to roll. They\u2019re already on board.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Republican demands greeted the Pentagon chief: \u201cIf you want my vote, you’d better replace that brigade in Poland,\u201d said Rep. Don Bacon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":653,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-defense"],"yoast_head":"\nHegseth\u2019s Defense Spending Pitch Leaves House GOP Without Clear Path - Modern Home Journals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=654\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hegseth\u2019s Defense Spending Pitch Leaves House GOP Without Clear Path - Modern Home Journals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Republican demands greeted the Pentagon chief: \u201cIf you want my vote, you'd better replace that brigade in Poland,\u201d said Rep. 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