What Happened

The U.S. military is running short on money before the fiscal year ends, and Congress wants answers. The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a closed hearing on Sept. 24 to get an update on the Pentagon's budget, a session that comes as the Defense Department scrambles to cover rising personnel and operational costs with funds it wasn't expecting to need. [](#ngr-2bda4b89-2386-4775-b95e-cea2440c1182)

In July, the Pentagon asked Congress for permission to shift $4.3 billion inside its existing budget to cover those higher-than-expected costs, pulling money away from weapons and technology programs to pay troops and keep operations running.

Why Does It Matter To Me

The Pentagon's money crunch is not just a Washington accounting problem. If Congress doesn't pass a new defense budget before Oct. 1, the military automatically falls under a temporary spending freeze that locks spending at last year's base levels through Dec. 11.

That freeze would block new money that was already approved through separate legislation, meaning some military programs funded under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would simply stop receiving funds. The Pentagon's basic research budget has also already dropped nearly 19 percent since fiscal year 2022, falling from $2.65 billion to $2.14 billion, according to the source reporting.

Both Sides, Now

Senators from both parties publicly criticized Pentagon leadership after a Sept. 17 closed briefing on military strategy, with members calling a Defense Department official "frustratingly opaque." Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle said they left with unanswered questions on Iran, munitions, and the National Guard, signaling that the friction over information is bipartisan.

The Trump administration's fiscal year 2027 budget request totals $1.5 trillion for defense, up from $901 billion approved for fiscal year 2026. But that same proposal would cut Pentagon research spending by one-third, a reduction of $3.7 billion from current levels, a tradeoff that some defense analysts warn creates long-term risk even as overall spending rises.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee and will lead the Sept. 24 hearing. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) serves as ranking member. The committee has the power to demand information from the Pentagon and shape how defense money gets spent, but final budget decisions rest with the full Congress.

What Happens Next

The federal fiscal year ends Sept. 30, giving Congress days to pass a defense budget or trigger the spending freeze. If no full budget passes, the continuing resolution takes effect through Dec. 11, capping Pentagon spending at last year's base levels with no new program funds added.

The Sept. 24 hearing is closed to the public, so what lawmakers learn, and what they decide to do with it, may not become clear until after that deadline has already passed.

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This article was generated by AI pulling from data. Each article is edited by an editor for accuracy and clarity.

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