Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is visiting Congress to ask for $350 billion in new military funding, as the war in Iran drags on with no clear end, NPR reported on July 21, 2026.

The White House wants to pass the $350 billion through a shortcut called budget reconciliation. Normally, most bills need 60 votes to pass the Senate, but reconciliation lets a simple majority of 51 votes get the job done. The money would help pay for the Iran war, AP News reported on July 14. The $350 billion would come on top of $1.1 trillion the military already receives, according to The New York Sun.

The Pentagon has also asked for about $80 billion separately, mostly to cover Iran war costs, AP News reported on June 22. Republicans in Congress have been considering matching the White House request for $350 billion, which could pass through the reconciliation process, according to AP News.

The visit follows a July 14 briefing that Speaker Mike Johnson set up for House Republicans at the Pentagon with Hegseth, The Hill reported.

At the same time, lawmakers are pushing back against the Iran war. On July 14, Senate Democrats blocked a $1.15 trillion yearly defense bill, saying they were frustrated with the war and President Trump, Reuters reported. On June 23, the Senate voted to stop the Iran conflict, the first time the Senate had passed such a resolution, according to AP News.

The $350 billion request is part of a larger yearly military budget process. Hegseth and Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, the top military adviser known as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified together at a House hearing on the defense budget, DOD News reported on June 10, 2025. Hegseth told a Senate committee that shipbuilding, Golden Dome, and nuclear deterrence are key parts of the budget request, DOD News reported on June 11, 2025. Navy leaders testified on the budget request on May 20, 2026, according to DOD's FY2027 budget page.

The broader context here is that Congress is being pulled in several directions on military spending. The reconciliation shortcut would let Republicans avoid the 60-vote requirement that has given Democrats a chance to object to the war. The Senate's vote to stop the Iran conflict, even though it has not become law, shows the war has become a political problem for the administration in Congress.

The separate $80 billion request and the $350 billion reconciliation request show a two-part strategy: getting money quickly for war costs through normal channels, and seeking a larger, longer-term increase through reconciliation. Whether House Republicans can hold enough votes together to pass the package, and whether $1.1 trillion in current spending plus $350 billion in new money can win a vote on the House floor, are the questions Hegseth faces in his meetings.

The White House describes the $350 billion as tied to the ongoing Iran operations. NPR said the conflict is flaring up with no end in sight, which fits with the Senate's June vote to stop the war and the Democratic blockade of the defense bill in July. Hegseth's testimony that shipbuilding, Golden Dome, and nuclear deterrence are central to the budget request shows the Pentagon wants the supplemental money for war costs while the regular budget keeps funding longer-term priorities.