Overview
- Testifying Wednesday, OMB Director Russell Vought said the administration is not ready to seek an Iran-war supplemental and offered no ballpark, even as reports say the Pentagon sent OMB a roughly $200 billion draft.
- The budget lifts defense to about $1.5 trillion by pairing a $1.15 trillion base plan with $350 billion moved through reconciliation, a fast-track process that can pass the Senate with a simple majority.
- Vought said front-loading funds would let the Pentagon sign multiyear contracts for ships, aircraft, drones, and munitions so factories can add facilities rather than just more shifts.
- The plan offsets the surge with roughly 10% cuts to non-defense programs, including health research, housing, agriculture, and low-income energy aid, drawing sharp objections from Democrats.
- Lawmakers from both parties flagged the Pentagon’s repeated audit failures and accountability gaps, and the fight now moves to appropriations and any reconciliation push that could stretch into the summer before the Sept. 30 fiscal deadline.