GOP Ties Pentagon Funds to Trump's Russia Policy

House Republicans are threatening to block at least $350 billion in new Pentagon spending unless President Trump takes a tougher line on Russia, using Congress’s control of the funding process to pressure the administration’s foreign policy. The money would move through a partisan reconciliation package during the postelection lame-duck session, as the administration presses lawmakers to approve it.

Congress Holds the Funding Line

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has urged Congress to support the package and pushed for Trump’s record $1.5 trillion defense budget request. Hegseth called it a “one-time generational investment” essential to Trump’s national security priorities. Disagreements over how to pay for the $350 billion proposal have stalled it.

At an Army conference in Washington, D.C., Hegseth said Wednesday that the Pentagon was working with the White House to secure the package “regardless” of the midterm results. “We're running fast immediately with the committees to ensure that that reconciliation bill, at a minimum of $350 [billion], potentially more, ultimately fills up what this department needs in order for the president to ensure that we reestablish deterrence and rebuild the military around the world,” he said.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) warned that Trump’s legislative agenda wouldn’t pass during the lame-duck session unless the administration acted against the Russian war machine instead of feeding it. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) told The Wall Street Journal there would be “consequences” if the administration didn’t restore satellite technologies Ukraine said had been restricted. “Agencies won't get funding if they're not doing their jobs,” Fitzpatrick said.

Russia Policy Divides Republicans

Trump’s agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel to the United States and curb rising fuel costs has angered several Republican allies of Ukraine. Reports that the United States restricted Ukraine’s use of strategic satellite systems have added to the dispute. Some Republicans want Russian sanctions restored and satellite limits removed as the administration seeks additional Pentagon funding.

The late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) sponsored legislation that Trump signed the previous month to tighten sanctions on Russia and increase pressure on Moscow to reach a peace deal with Ukraine. The article said Trump’s decision to waive the sanctions increased Putin’s ability to fund the war and frustrated supporters of the legislation in both parties.

In a letter to Trump, bipartisan lawmakers said the diesel agreement might violate the spirit, if not the letter, of the new Russian sanctions law. They urged him to apply the sanctions “to their fullest extent and without delay.” They also asked the administration to revoke the license and avoid further general licenses that would reopen Russian energy transactions and restore revenue to the Kremlin’s war chest.

Five Republicans signed the letter: Reps. Michael McCaul of Texas, Dan Newhouse of Washington, Joe Wilson of South Carolina, Bacon and Fitzpatrick. Wilson, a co-chair of the House Ukraine Caucus, said implementing the Graham sanctions remained critical to advancing American interests.

What the Package Would Fund

The proposal includes $17 billion for the Golden Dome homeland missile defense system, drones and $47 billion for expanded munitions production. Of the $113 billion designated to bolster the defense industrial base, more than $48 billion is for critical minerals. About $103 billion is set aside for low-cost autonomous systems, artificial intelligence and counter-unmanned systems.

Another $14 billion would support modernization, sustainment and production of F-35 fighter jets, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers, the Navy’s next-generation fighter plane and Lockheed Martin KC-130J transport aircraft. The Pentagon is also seeking $36 billion for a “Warrior Ethos” category that includes investments in housing and facilities for service members.

Democrats are nearly united against Trump’s Iran war. GOP leaders would need virtually every House Republican to back the package for it to have a chance of passing the House. Bacon, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, predicted Trump’s Russia policy had alienated enough Republicans to make passage difficult. He wrote on X that reducing intelligence sharing with Ukraine and access to Starlink “equates to aiding the invader & the war criminal who bombs cities,” adding that the administration’s agenda was dead unless it changed course.

A House GOP aide said lawmakers’ pressure could force the administration to “back off, to some degree,” and noted that members not returning to Congress might feel less bound to stay in lock step with Trump. Hegseth’s office declined to comment. Pentagon officials have held closed-door briefings to build support for the $1.5 trillion request; Democrats and some Senate Republicans questioned whether late-year classified sessions would secure enough backing.