White House budget director Russell Vought told House lawmakers on Wednesday that the Trump administration doesn’t yet have a “ballpark” estimate of how much supplemental funding it will seek for the Iran war.
“We’re not ready to come to you with a request,” Vought said during testimony before the House Budget Committee about President Trump’s fiscal 2027 budget request. “We’re still working on it. We’re working through to figure out what’s needed in this fiscal year versus next fiscal year.”
Defending a huge defense funding request: The president’s budget asked for a massive $1.5 trillion in military funding for the coming fiscal year, an increase of 42%. (The budget proposal also called for a $73 billion, or 10%, cut in nondefense spending compared to 2026 levels.)
Vought defended that proposed military spending increase, explaining that it is intended to grow the defense industrial base and cover multi-year purchasing agreements that have to be accounted for in their first year. “It is meant for significant, paradigm-shifting investments,” he said.
Sharp criticism from Democrats: Rep. Brendan Boyle, the top Democrat on the budget panel, slammed Vought for failing to appear before the House Budget Committee last year and criticized the Trump administration’s economic policies.
“What's different about this economy, unlike the inflation crisis after the pandemic, unlike the Great Recession, unlike the recession of 2001, unlike the recession of 1992 — the economic downturn that we're experiencing, no jobs, record inflation, gas prices through the roof, consumer confidence plummeting — all of this is directly related to the policies of the Trump administration that you carry out, Mr. Vought,” Boyle said.
Boyle noted that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is projected to add more in debt and deficits than any piece of legislation passed by Congress in U.S. history. He also questioned Vought about projections that more than 15 million or 17 million Americans will lose healthcare coverage as a result of the 2025 Republican law.
“Really, you’re going to sit here with a straight face and say they’re all illegals, they’re all defrauding the system? That’s actually your position?” Boyle asked.
“Yes,” Vought replied.
“That’s laughable!” Boyle jumped in.
Vought clarified that some people will be returning to the workforce because they are able-bodied or should not have been in the system because of a bureaucratic inability to address fraud.
“The idea that all of those people who are about to lose their healthcare are defrauding the system or are illegal immigrants, that is not supported by any facts whatsoever,” Boyle responded.
Protestors interrupt Vought’s opening remarks: The hearing was delayed briefly by a group of AIDS activists and former USAID employees who reportedly chanted “PEPFAR saves lives — spend the money,” referring to a federal program to combat HIV and AIDS in developing countries. Trump’s 2027 budget request reportedly would eliminate HIV-specific and all disease-specific programming, though Congress rejected similar proposals for the current fiscal year.
What’s next: Vought is set to testify before the Senate Budget Committee on Thursday.