The outgoing Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee is raising concerns that funding for President Trump’s signature Golden Dome missile defense shield project could be under threat in the wake of the GOP midterm election loss.
Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi told Threat Status at The Washington Times on Wednesday that he and his caucus are wary that Golden Dome may not be “funded adequately.”
At issue is a roughly $350 billion defense funding gap for fiscal year 2027. A large portion of Pentagon space-based capabilities and Golden Dome support are dependent on the gap being filled. Funds in the gap are also earmarked for other elements of a vast, advanced-technology military modernization effort that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed over the past year.
People were interested in these podcasts
Mr. Wicker said Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg will be holding meetings on Capitol Hill “early next week to talk about a number of defense priorities” including Golden Dome.
Mr. Hegseth, meanwhile, said this week that he and other Trump administration officials are “flooding the zone because this lame duck period is critically important for the funding of our department.”
The defense secretary said during a press conference on Tuesday that “$350 billion at a minimum for reconciliation is what we believe is needed to make a generational and historic investment in this department.”
Congressional staffers agreed, telling Threat Status that the biggest national security and foreign policy fights will take place during the lame-duck session, before Democrats take majority control over the House and Senate at the start of 2027.
“I’m worried,” Rep. Jake Ellzey, Texas Republican, told Threat Status.
Mr. Ellzey is the vice chair of the House defense appropriations subcommittee. “I have complete faith in Feinberg to be doing the right thing,” he said, adding that outstanding $350 billion in defense funding would hurt defense priorities if not delivered.
In July, the House narrowly passed a $1.15 trillion version of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act and sent the legislation to the Senate, where it has remained stalled amid Democratic resistance.
In the interim, Republicans in the House and the Senate have been pushing to add $350 billion to the total planned 2027 defense spending through reconciliation bills — a process that allows Congress to change the funding it has already passed.
Congress is currently pursuing its third iteration of reconciliation funding, dubbed “reconciliation 3.0,” to cover the gap. Traditionally, lawmakers pass only one or two reconciliation packages per fiscal year, and the current process is burdened by unexpected costs associated with the now 6-month-old U.S. war with Iran.
Mr. Hegseth said Tuesday that the Pentagon is actively working with current Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, and current Senate Majority Leader John Thune, South Dakota Republican, to address the gap.
“My job,” the defense secretary said, is “to ensure we’re funded and funded properly, which is what the president expects every single day.”
Replacing munitions stockpiles used in Iran alongside other war costs could constrain Republicans’ flexibility to approve the additional spending. A dramatic increase in weapons production being pushed by the Pentagon amid munitions stockpile depletion tied to the Iran war is also likely to be impacted.
Adm. Daryl Caudle, chief of U.S. naval operations, told reporters in August that the costs for the war in Iran were not “baked in” to the budget.
As a result, the Navy is faced with shifting around funds to try to cover the gaps. The flexibility is limited, and some of the funds could come from accounts meant to cover housing for troops and families or funds for payroll.
The shortfall has become a concern on Capitol Hill since this spring, as Republican lawmakers facing their midterm elections were forced to acknowledge the high cost of the Iran war.
When asked if he is concerned that Congress may not be able to overcome the funding gap for the Golden Dome project, Mr. Wicker was blunt.
“Yes, I am,” he said.
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.