Trigger-happy Hegseth brings Pentagon to brink of going broke: report

The cost of President Donald Trump's war with Iran, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been blowing through armament stockpiles despite warnings, has the Pentagon close to running out of money, according to a report Tuesday.

The Pentagon is hemorrhaging funds at an alarming rate. Critical defense budget lines are set to evaporate within weeks as the escalating conflict with Iran consumes resources at unprecedented speed, lawmakers and Pentagon officials told the Washington Post.

The financial crisis is already forcing the military to make devastating choices. Training exercises and maintenance programs essential to military readiness are being slashed or eliminated entirely, according to the report which also noted that equipment maintenance budgets are being "cannibalized" to cover operational shortfalls.

Hegseth has publicly dismissed concerns about depleting munitions supplies, claiming during a CBS interview last month that U.S. stockpiles remain "great, and they're only getting stronger." His public bravado starkly contrasts with private Pentagon assessments.

"In private, Pentagon officials have expressed far greater anxiety, according to current and former officials, arguing that the military desperately needs more money to restock munitions needed to deter U.S. adversaries like Russia and China," the Post reported.

The collapsed Iran ceasefire threatens to worsen the crisis. After four U.S. service members died during intensive combat operations, the conflict appears set to escalate with no end in sight.

The White House has requested $67 billion in emergency funding from Congress, but lawmakers remain deadlocked over how to proceed. The House is recessing for a month Thursday, pushing any fiscal resolution weeks away at minimum.

The Navy and Air Force are particularly stressed. Both services have deployed extensive assets to the Middle East, and portions of their 2026 budgets covering operations are projected to run dry by month's end.