WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is racing against a tightening financial clock, with officials warning that the Defense Department could run into a budget gap within weeks as the war with Iran continues, heightening pressure behind a $67 billion emergency funding appeal now before Congress, according to a new report.
As the cash crunch deepens, defense leaders have already moved to curb spending on maintenance and training programs — two pillars of military readiness — the Washington Post reported.
Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell told The Post that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has made service members and front-line personnel a central priority in a way he described as unmatched by previous Pentagon leaders.
Parnell added that Hegseth is prepared to take whatever steps are needed to safeguard troops’ quality of life and keep the U.S. military positioned as the world’s most powerful fighting force, stressing that defense funding is a necessity rather than a choice.
On Capitol Hill, Republican lawmakers are advancing a “Reconciliation 3.0” package that would steer $73 billion toward defense and intelligence needs — a sizable boost, though far below the roughly $200 billion Pentagon leaders initially floated in March.
The House, however, is expected this week to consider only a budget resolution framework, a procedural step that would clear the way for the Senate to move ahead with the proposed additional defense funding.
Complicating the timeline, the House is scheduled to leave Thursday for a five-week recess, and the two chambers are not expected to be back in Washington at the same time until mid-September.
That schedule means Congress is unlikely to approve the military supplemental funding package for at least another two months.
“Everybody needs to look at this situation and get rid of the complacency that they have,” Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC), who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, told the Washington Post.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine are set to push lawmakers on the Senate Appropriations Committee for more funding in a Tuesday hearing.
President Trump first ordered strikes on Iran as part of Operation Epic Fury in February, before agreeing to a cease-fire with the Islamic Republic that has collapsed this month.
Over recent days, the US has begun striking Iran again in an effort to undermine its ability to close off the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint, where nearly a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil supplies once flowed through annually.
Iran has managed to carry out numerous sophisticated attacks on US bases and assets in the region, killing at least three American service members over the weekend.
As a result of the fighting, parts of the budget for the Navy and Air Force for operations in the Middle East could run dry by the month’s end, according to the report.
The Pentagon has shifted money around in response and is reportedly seeking to transfer $4.3 billion from weapons purchases and training to more pressing areas.
All of this comes amid a scramble by the Trump administration to restock America’s arsenal with critical munitions.
Trump has pushed for a $1.5 trillion defense budget that would boost total defense spending by nearly 50%, but has faced complications in Congress. That comes in addition to a $150 billion boost for the military in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
