Key Republicans skeptical as Trump administration scrambles for more defense money

In a closed-door briefing earlier this month, key Pentagon officials met with House spending leaders from both parties to lay out an urgent case for quickly providing more cash to fund the U.S. war in Iran.

But when pressed for details by members of both parties, Pentagon officials were unable to offer any meaningful detail about why they needed the money so quickly; According to two people in the room, both Republicans and Democrats were annoying.

Now, with the Pentagon’s reserves further depleted, the administration is putting full-court pressure on Republican lawmakers in hopes of clinching the tens of billions of dollars officials are seeking this summer as the United States continues its fight against Iran.

Last week, the Pentagon invited dozens of House members to a marathon meeting that included a face-to-face meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Select members, including the chairman of the chamber’s powerful Appropriations Committee, were also invited to Camp David, and Vice Chairman J.D. Vance went to the Capitol basement on Wednesday to sell the plan to the GOP base, arguing that Republican unity is needed.

But some GOP members told CNN they still lack critical information about the military’s capabilities and needs and are unconvinced by what they hear. Even Republicans who support the funding fear that a worrying political gamble in the final days of summer could lead to a collapse in the legislature just months before the midterm elections.

“This is a risky proposition,” Majority Leader John Thune told reporters at the Capitol last week, referring to House GOP efforts to pass a party-line bill for defense and other priorities. “Is the juice worth the squeeze?”

There’s not much time to act

The Department of Defense said it had engaged in meaningful discussions with lawmakers.

“The War Department has conducted hundreds of interviews with individual members of Congress or groups over the past two months,” a Defense Department official said. “In addition to the consistent provision of budget submission summaries, requests for information from judiciary committees, and regular interactions between the Department and the Hill, this represents one of the most efficient and convenient legislative engagement packages in many years.”

For months, defense hawks in Congress have been warning that the Pentagon has been badly depleted in ammunition and funds since the beginning of the war in Iran. Lawmakers had anticipated they would need to pass some kind of additional funding package before the end of the fiscal year, and congressional leadership has made clear they want to move quickly.

“For defense workers, this is an emergency that needs to be done,” said Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho. “They will run out of money in mid-August.”

“The Pentagon people I talked to, if we’re still having this conversation in August, that’s not a good thing,” said Rep. Steve Womack, a property owner from Arkansas, and Rep. Ronny Jackson, a member of the Intelligence, Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees, told CNN the deadline was “serious.”

“We need to get this done as quickly as possible,” Jackson said.

But the emergency argument doesn’t resonate with everyone. Some conservatives threatened to vote against the financing on the grounds that it would be reflected on the country’s credit card. Others argue they don’t understand why the Pentagon is in such desperate need of money after billions of dollars were funneled to the Defense Department as part of the last sweeping party-line policy bill.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who said he recently turned down a visit to Camp David because he wasn’t interested in a “pitch” for the fund. He said he still has many questions.

“That’s a lot of money to be wasted in a very short period of time, and I’m not saying they’re not doing it,” Fitzpatrick said, but “they shouldn’t expect us to just go along with what they say. I mean, they need to defend themselves.”

A Republican member who spent Tuesday night at the Pentagon argued that even after a nearly four-hour meeting at defense headquarters, they were still unconvinced.

“In my opinion, they did not present any convincing arguments. Even the microphones were not working,” the member said. “They wanted $1.5 trillion and they had chips and dip.”

Another member who is undecided 95 billion dollar plan “Most of us believe there should be payment,” Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry, a House GOP leader on defense and other priorities, told CNN.

GOP leaders are still moving quickly and showing signs of hope.

“I think because our nation is now out of ammunition in both Ukraine and Israel, we need to respond to this emergency, whether the United States is involved in or against those two conflicts. I think responsible lawmakers should come together to ensure that our military has ammunition stockpiles to deter the next conflict. Our enemies need to know that we are well-armed, trained and equipped,” said Republican Rep. Nick LaLota of New York.

The House budget committee was able to advance the proposal unveiled by GOP leaders last week that includes $60 billion for the Pentagon and $13 billion for intelligence agencies. And the leadership is confident they can bring the issue up for a vote next week. But even if House Speaker Mike Johnson can get that done through his chamber, GOP senators are expected to make significant changes to the legislation that would include grants and billions of dollars in aid to farmers to fund President Donald Trump’s “RELIEVE America Act.”

Senate aides and members argue that the chamber would press the Pentagon for much more money than the House bill includes. The $73 billion allocated to defense is only a small portion of the $350 billion the administration previously allocated as part of its $1.5 trillion budget request. The smaller figure came after conservative members of the budget committee argued they could get by with only a fraction of the $350 billion unless the money was offset.

“We reduced the excess request in the budget committee,” Republican Rep. Erin Houchin of Indiana told CNN. “We’re putting downward pressure on this.”

If funding is increased in the Senate, that could have an impact on the vote total when it returns to the House of Representatives.

Following the sudden death of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, all eyes turned to Senate Budget Chairman Senator Ron Johnson, a budget hawk who could also push for spending offsets for defense funding within his framework. That’s a potential problem for moderates in the House, who argue they don’t want to take tough votes on program cuts before being re-elected.

It’s also unclear whether provisions related to the President’s “Save America Act” will be put forward for approval by the Senate parliamentarian, who will decide what counts under Senate rules. If the president’s ballot measure is not allowed, that could also dampen prospects in the House.

“The SAVE America Act needs to be activated,” warned Rep. Chip Roy, a conservative from Texas. “If there is no obligation for the voter rolls to be accurate, if citizenship is checked, if voter ID is checked, then we have a serious problem.”

CNN’s Ted Barrett contributed.

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