WASHINGTON — Tensions flared on Capitol Hill June 5 as lawmakers from both parties rebuked the Trump administration for continuing delays in delivering a fiscal year 2026 defense budget.
During a House Armed Services Committee hearing focused on the Department of the Air Force’s funding priorities, Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said the lack of a formal budget proposal from the administration is undermining Congress’ ability to provide strategic guidance and funding for national defense.
He said the delays are “not helpful” and could force Congress to act unilaterally on defense spending.
“We need a budget to help inform decisions,” Rogers said, emphasizing that “Congress will decide what we do and don’t spend,” regardless of administration input.
The chairman directed his frustration specifically at the Office of Management and Budget, which coordinates the executive branch’s budget submission to Congress.
“The Office of Management and Budget not getting us a budget will not compel us to comply with what they give us late,” Rogers said. “To whoever from OMB is listening to this hearing, we want to have a healthy dialogue with military leaders. If we don’t get it, we will write a budget without it. We need to acknowledge the fact that being delayed is not helpful.”
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin, and Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman fielded numerous questions they couldn’t answer because the administration proposal has not been made public.
Space Force faces potential cuts despite China concerns
Lawmakers during the hearing also questioned apparent contradictions between the Defense Department’s rhetoric about space as a critical warfare domain and the administration’s preliminary budget outline that keeps defense spending flat.
According to the administration’s budget outline released May 30, Space Force funding would decline to approximately $26 billion in fiscal 2026, down from the $28.7 billion it received in fiscal 2025. The administration expects additional funding to come from a reconciliation bill that has passed the House but faces significant Senate opposition.
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), who leads the House Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces subcommittee, pressed Meink on this apparent disconnect. “If China has advanced so much in space, why are you cutting the space budget?” Moulton insisted.
Meink acknowledged the competitive threat from China but noted that final budget totals haven’t been released.
When questioned by Moulton about whether the planned Golden Dome missile defense system might trigger an arms race, Meink argued that such competition is already underway.
“From the counter-space, space control perspective, the U.S. has actually sat idle for quite some time and allowed the Chinese to make huge advances and really, in some cases, gain the high ground in that area,” Meink said. “They’ve made significant advances, both in space, air, maritime, across the board.”
The ranking Democrat on the committee, Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), raised concerns that the budget request might reverse progress made during the previous administration on space capabilities.
“As we turn to space, the previous administration made significant progress in pivoting to more resilient architectures, and placing an increased focus on how to better integrate commercial capabilities and solutions across various mission areas of the Space Force,” Smith said. “I am concerned with rumors we are hearing of this budget request that it would potentially reverse some of the progress we have made to date in both of these areas.”
