Lawmakers from both parties raised concerns this week over a lack of detail in the Trump administration’s budget request for the Defense Department (DOD). They warned that lack of information could slow Congress’ already challenging effort to pass a federal budget.
Under the Trump administration, the DOD has been rebranded as the War Department.
During a House Appropriations defense subcommittee hearing on Thursday, lawmakers met with Army leaders to discuss their budget requirements, but made clear current details are insufficient.
Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., said missing information could hinder lawmakers’ ability to conduct oversight, particularly as proposed defense spending rises sharply.
“For the second year in a row, this hearing has been held without full details of the Army’s request, and that is very disappointing,” McCollum said. “The committee must know what these funds are being used for and how they’re being used.”
The concerns come after the administration released a “skinny budget” on April 3 outlining plans to allocate about $1.5 trillion for defense in fiscal 2027. The administration has not yet released full details of the proposal, including a detailed breakdown of Army funding.
Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, echoed the congresswoman’s concerns, noting that the information gap originates with the Office of Management and Budget, not Army officials. However, he warned that the slow rollout increases the likelihood the DOD will once again begin the fiscal year (FY) without a finalized budget.
Congress has rarely passed appropriations bills before the Oct. 1 – the start of the fiscal year. For FY 2026, lawmakers did not approve a defense budget until February 2026, five months after the start of the fiscal year.
“We really do need more information than we have now. We’re going to end up delaying this … because, frankly, for the committee to have the information that it needs to make decisions, it’s taking us a while,” Cole said.
“We want to work with the administration, and certainly with the president on what he’s trying to achieve, but we’re going to need more information to be able to do that. … My friend from Minnesota is exactly right when she raises that issue,” he added.
Preliminary budget documents show the Army is seeking nearly $60.5 billion through its base budget and reconciliation funds. The distribution of those funds remains unclear, though early indications point to priorities including drone and counter-drone capabilities, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.
Assessing the proposal has been difficult for lawmakers because existing budget documents categorize funding broadly – into areas such as research and development, military personnel, and procurement – without detailed program-level explanations.
“We need information,” McCollum said. “This administration still has not provided us the justification documents for the full request. We need the details when the budget is made public, and that is the only way we can do our job properly to do the oversight we are tasked with.”