AHouse Appropriations subcommittee held an often tense hearing over the fiscal year 2026 defense budget Tuesday morning, attempting to nail down exactly what funding the Department of Defense needs to face the numerous current diplomatic and security challenges at home and abroad.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth fielded questions from lawmakers repeatedly seeking specific funding targets and often left them dissatisfied.
“Please… I want your plan!” erupted Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., after multiple attempts to get details from Hegseth on the department’s plan for revitalizing the military’s shipbuilding program.
Hegseth responded by saying the department believes it was closing the gap between production and projected need and that funding was slated to increase for fiscal year 2026 by 14% for Columbia-class submarines alongside a “substantial increase” for Virginia-class submarines. But that wasn’t enough for DeLauro, known for her strong rhetoric challenging Republicans during debates and hearings.
“I’ve had difficulty with the prior administration, and I don’t mind calling them out,” DeLauro said. “You can talk percentages. You can talk about whatever you want, but unless this committee sees dollars and cents and where you’re going and what your plan is, then we may reconsider what you need to do to go forward.”
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Author: Ray Hilbrich
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