Sen. Mark Kelly says Pentagon’s $1.5 trillion budget request is “outrageous”
Senator Mark Kelly says Trump administration’s $1.5 trillion defense budget request is “outrageous” 09:17
Washington — Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona said Sunday that the Trump administration’s $1.5 trillion budget request for defense spending is “outrageous.”
“They need to present a defense budget that makes sense for the moment we are in.” Kelly said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”“
Last month, management announced fiscal year 2027 budget proposalIt serves as the starting point for negotiations with Congress regarding annual spending. The proposal marks a 42% increase in defense spending from 2026 levels.
“When I came to the Senate five and a half years ago, the defense budget was just over $700 billion,” Kelly said. “Now they want twice as much money, which is almost what the rest of the world pays for its defense.”
Kelly, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said some components of the budget proposal pose serious challenges. In addition to providing troops with a pay raise and the supply of critical ammunition, the funds will also go towards the construction of a space-based “Golden Dome” missile defense system, among other things.
“There are things like the Golden Dome there,” he said. “The physics of this issue are really difficult. I’m sure we’ll waste a lot of money and have a system that doesn’t work.”
In addition to the budget request, the White House is expected to ask Congress for an additional spending package to cover the cost of the war with Iran. A Pentagon official told congressional hearings late last month that the cost of the war was approximately 25 billion dollars. But U.S. officials familiar with internal assessments suggested at the time that the price tag of the Iran war might be closer to Iran. 50 billion dollars.
Meanwhile, Kelly expressed concern about the state of the US ammunition stockpile. war with IranHe cites Pentagon briefings detailing specific munitions.
“I think it’s fair to say it’s shocking that we’re digging this deep in these magazines, because this president has put our country in this situation without a strategic goal, without a plan, without a timeline,” Kelly said.
“We’ve wasted a lot of ammunition because of this, and that means the American people are less safe,” the Arizona Democrat said.
“Whether it’s a conflict with China in the Western Pacific or somewhere else in the world, ammunition is out,” he said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded on social mediaHe said Kelly was “blabbing (inaccurately and stupidly) about a *CONFIDENTIAL* Pentagon briefing he received on TV,” adding that Defense Department legal counsel would investigate whether the senator “violated his oath.”
