Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is running short on friends on Capitol Hill, and that now includes members of his own party, according to a new report.
This summer, Hegseth asked a Republican lawmaker what he thought the odds were that Congress would pass the administration’s record $1.5 trillion defense budget, and the Washington Post reported that the lawmaker told him the chances were about the same as Hegseth getting confirmed again by the Senate.
“You have a problem, and you need to increase the amount and the quality of the communication” with Congress, the lawmaker recalled telling him. Months later, members of both parties say nothing has changed.
The Post interviewed 30 people at the center of congressional national security work, including 20 lawmakers, and most blamed Hegseth’s combative style for the collapse of the bipartisan cooperation that has long carried defense bills through Congress.
“The way Hegseth treats people is a problem,” said Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee.
At his first private meeting with the Senate Armed Services Committee in June 2025, Hegseth reportedly warned that he didn’t know or trust everyone in the classified session and would watch what he said. In April, he told House lawmakers that “the biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans.”
“It’s as shockingly unprofessional as anything I see,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who voted against his confirmation and opposes the Iran war.
Frustrated Republicans have started working around him. Some have asked the Pentagon to send uniformed officers to brief Congress instead, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine has hosted his own bipartisan breakfasts to build support for the budget. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and others have pressed the Pentagon to stop shutting Democrats out of briefings.
“If we are asking them to make these country-altering decisions, I think we have to inform them,” Cramer said.
The National Defense Authorization Act, which has passed 65 years in a row, failed to advance in the Senate and barely got through the House, where more Republicans voted against it than Democrats voted for it. Republicans have also signaled opposition to Hegseth’s picks to lead the Army.
The Iran war has already cost more than $47 billion, forcing the Pentagon to delay training and maintenance. Insiders told the Post the full budget request is likely impossible with so few legislative days left in the year.
When the House returns in November, Hegseth will likely face an impeachment vote over the war, led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY).
Pentagon spokesman Joel Valdez said Hegseth is “always willing to engage directly with any lawmakers who bring forward their concerns in good faith.”
