Frustration roils lawmakers briefed on Pentagon's war request

The White House's $88 billion emergency spending request is at risk on Capitol Hill as bipartisan frustration grows that the Pentagon has not been forthcoming with details about the $67.1 billion in defense dollars in the package.

Even key Republicans who want to pass an infusion of Pentagon money for the Iran war and backfilling munitions emerged from a closed-door briefing with Pentagon officials on Wednesday upset that all their questions were not answered.

And time is running out for Congress to approve any money, with Trump administration officials warning that key Pentagon troop pay funding will start to run out by August amid the cost of the war in Iran, according to four Republicans involved in the talks, who were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive Hill negotiations.

"We need more information," Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), chair of the Defense Appropriations subcommittee, said leaving the briefing. "We recognize that the department needs more money fast, because we expend it a lot, and we're going to have to fill the hole, so we got to figure out exactly how much that is, and we got to do that as fast as possible."

Senior appropriator Steve Womack (R-Ark.) described the meeting as "a little tense at times" as lawmakers probed the Defense Department officials for information.

"I think the [deputy Defense] secretary and the [Joint Chiefs] vice [chair] are understanding the frustration that we have with the general flow of information and justification," Womack told reporters as he exited the briefing.

One Republican in the room said lawmakers kept asking DOD officials questions about the specifics of the funding request, and they kept getting replies along the lines of "we'll get back to you on that."

Calvert, one of the top Republicans shepherding the supplemental, said Congress needed more information "by yesterday," but said he expects to "have more information here shortly," without giving other details on timing.

House appropriators were briefed by Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg and Marine Gen. Christopher Mahoney, the vice chair of the Joint Chiefs.

President Donald Trump formally sent Congress a nearly $88 billion supplemental funding request last week to cover the costs of the Iran war, aid farmers and combat the Ebola virus. The $67 billion Pentagon portion of the package includes $21 billion to replenish U.S. stockpiles of missiles that have been heavily expended in the Middle East conflict. House GOP leaders are aiming to incorporate at least the Pentagon portion into another party-line bill, which also faces a time crunch and long odds.

Not all Republicans in the room were unsatisfied. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) called Feinberg and Mahoney "very competent, very skilled and very forthcoming."

Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.), another senior appropriator, stressed the urgency of moving quickly as he left the meeting. When asked when the Pentagon needed the money, he replied: "Now."

"This is really really really crucial," Díaz-Balart added.

Part of the pitch by the Pentagon officials to lawmakers on Wednesday was an overhaul of how contracts for restocking weapons and munitions are managed that they promise will save taxpayers money.

"They're changing the way that DOD contracts with contractors and holding contractors more responsible for the costs that previously were borne by the American government, hence the American people," Fleischmann said following the briefing.

Calvert argued lawmakers should pass supplemental funding before Congress leaves for its lengthy August recess. But the House is only in session for two weeks in July before adjourning until September, leaving an incredibly narrow window to advance legislation. Speaker Mike Johnson is also mired in a hardline blockade that's tanked major bills for two weeks, including the GOP's $1.15 trillion Pentagon policy bill.

Democrats shared the same frustrations as their Republican colleagues — vowing to only support a supplemental package if the Trump administration provides more information. Republicans acknowledge they won't be able to pass the military funding package without at least seven Senate Democrats — who still need to be convinced.

"We need information and on time," Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) said. "I think, generally speaking, everybody — Democrats, Republicans — said we need information on time."

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) said similarly: "We need more information before we move forward," she said.

"We need a hell of a lot more detail. I think that was the message loud and clear today," Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) said.

Lawmakers in both parties, though, have long criticized the Pentagon for not keeping Congress in the loop on key decisions, including not providing Congress with timely budget information.

That extends to the emergency war funding proposal, which Calvert and other spending leaders have urged the Trump administration to send over for months.

"Everybody's aware of what is at risk here, and I think one of the messages was, 'We've been asking for this for months,'" Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-Texas) said of the meeting. "The clock's ticking, and we have bills to pay."

Top Democratic Defense appropriator Betty McCollum of Minnesota said the panel is waiting to see if Pentagon officials quickly provide them with promised details.

"We are waiting for more information," McCollum said. "And until they get [us] more information, no one's promising anything."