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On Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the “greatest threat” that the U.S. faces is not the historic affordability crisis, institutionalized corruption, or rapid erosion of basic rights, but rather the prospect that the Pentagon — and the military contractors who profit from its contracts — may not get a half trillion-dollar raise next year.

During his testimony to the Senate Appropriations Committee in which he advocated for the White House’s request for an additional $87 billion for the U.S. and Israel’s disastrous war on Iran, Hegseth said that “building the lethality of our joint force” and “reinforcing peace through strength” must be a top priority.

“Not funding this department at 1.5 trillion, I believe, is the greatest threat that our nation faces,” Hegseth said.

The secretary said that there were “shortfalls” under the Biden administration and that it was “not a priority to fund the Department of Defense under Biden” — an assertion that is simply untrue. The Pentagon budget rose to record-breaking levels under Biden, with the Democratic administration requesting $850 billion for 2025, compared to a $740 billion budget during his first year in office.

Congress and the Trump administration already faced heavy criticism when they passed a Pentagon budget exceeding $1 trillion last year for the first time since World War II, when nearly the entire U.S.........

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