Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is demanding that Congress approve President Donald Trump’s eye-popping $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget, a massive spending plan critics say would leave American households carrying the equivalent of roughly $5,000 each to fuel an even bigger military buildup.
The massive funding request came during Hegseth’s testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, where he argued that failing to fund the Defense Department at the $1.5 trillion level would pose “the greatest threat that our nation faces.”
That claim drew immediate backlash.
Economist Dean Baker put the proposal into terms ordinary Americans can understand, noting on social media that the additional military spending works out to just under $5,000 per household.
Baker also pointed out that the United States already spends far more on its military than any other country. Before Trump returned to office, the Pentagon operated with an $860 billion budget, already larger than the combined military spending of China, Russia, Germany, India, and the United Kingdom.
For many Democrats, the timing couldn’t be worse.
As millions of Americans continue to struggle with the cost of groceries, rent, and gas, Hegseth is asking Congress for what would amount to more than a 50% increase over what the U.S. spent on the military in 2025.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) confronted Hegseth directly.
“Secretary Hegseth, you are asking for unlimited money for bombs,” Gillibrand said, “when people can’t feed their families.”
Opposition isn’t limited to the Senate.
Speaking with MeidasTouch’s Scott MacFarlane, Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) said Democrats are likely to reject Hegseth’s request for tens of billions of dollars in additional funding tied to the Iran conflict.
“How many times have we been told this war is over?” Ansari asked. “How many times have we been told that it’s not a war?… I’m not giving another dollar to this.”
Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) was equally blunt.
“Trump and Hegseth forced us into a disastrous, illegal war in Iran and now they want $1.5 trillion to keep it going,” Carbajal wrote on social media. “The American people want to end forever wars, not to fund them.”
The proposed defense budget is expected to face fierce resistance as lawmakers debate whether taxpayers should shoulder the cost of one of the largest military spending increases in U.S. history while many families continue to struggle with everyday expenses.
