House Budget Committee chair says Republicans will scrutinize $1.5 trillion defense request, expects $200–250B supplemental

Rep. Jodey Arrington, chair of the House Committee on the Budget, told Bluebird TV and Radio that House Republicans will ‘‘do our due diligence’’ on the president’s $1.5 trillion defense budget request and will press the Pentagon for specifics on where money would be spent.

"What I will tell you is myself and my fellow Republican colleagues on the Budget Committee want to understand what the justification is, where the money is going, what sort of future war readiness we are going to get in terms of return on that investment," Arrington said. He said committee Republicans plan to visit the Pentagon and will call OMB Director Russell Vought to testify before the committee this week.

Arrington estimated the supplemental portion tied to current operations will be roughly $200 billion to $250 billion of the broader defense request, describing that as distinct from longer-term modernization spending. "We are still doing due diligence, but you are right, it is about $200 billion to $250 billion of the net $600 billion of defense spending," he said.

The chair emphasized short-term needs such as replenishing munitions and existing capabilities — naming Patriot missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles — while also flagging investments for future readiness. "The first order of business is replenishing munitions, the Patriot missiles, the Tomahawk's, and all that is needed to finish the fight of today and be thinking about the fight of the future," Arrington said.

On how to fund homeland security during the conflict, Arrington said Republicans are weighing reconciliation options: a narrowly focused package for ICE and CBP or a broader security reconciliation that could combine homeland funding with a defense supplemental and multi-year funding to avoid repeated shutdowns. He warned against proposals that "smell like a defunding of Border Patrol" and said Congress should preserve core security and safety operations.

Arrington also described areas where Republicans believe they can identify savings — including additional fraud prevention and program-integrity measures — that could offset some spending. He said any reconciliation approach should be "responsible" and budget-neutral to the degree possible.

The committee’s next steps include public testimony from OMB leadership and further briefings at the Pentagon, after which Arrington said lawmakers will prioritize decisions on how to allocate resources.

The Budget Committee is expected to continue hearings and deliberations as OMB and Pentagon officials provide additional detail.