Noah Robertson

The request mostly includes money for the Pentagon, with $67 billion going toward replenishing the military’s stocks of munitions and the cost of sending so many forces to the Middle East.

Frustrated lawmakers are increasing pressure on the defense secretary to get answers they’ve sought for months.

The secretary of state will testify publicly for the first time since the war began, as the regional conflict worsens and lawmaker patience runs thin.

The defense secretary will appear before Congress as a ceasefire with Tehran falters and lawmakers object to the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany.

The president previously committed to helping the 78-year-old Lai, a symbol of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement who has been imprisoned since 2020.

Trump’s combative defense secretary has grown more self-assured of his job security despite his early missteps in the role, people familiar with the matter said.

The decision coincides with a feud between the president and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has criticized the U.S. war in Iran.

Trump’s statement came as the United States continues to enforce a naval blockade of Iran and as he declined to rule out additional strikes on the country.

The hearing follows a marathon session in the House, where the defense secretary clashed with Democrats over the conflict and his purge of top military leaders.

The defense secretary sought to rebut lawmakers’ criticism of the Trump administration’s handling of the conflict, which has cost about $25 billion so far.

For more than two hours on the chamber’s floor, the speaker and fellow Republican leaders cajoled holdouts on that bill and others on DHS funding and farm policy.

The Pentagon assessment, shared in a classified briefing for lawmakers, suggests gasoline and oil prices could remain elevated through the midterm elections.

The nearly 50 percent jump in spending would fund many of President Donald Trump’s new military projects, but the request has to get through a skeptical Congress.