Antiwar protesters tried to disrupt the U.S. Army’s annual convention Wednesday as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared on stage at the event in downtown Washington to express confidence that Congress will deliver on President Trump’s historic Pentagon budget request, regardless of how the November midterm elections play out.
Mr. Hegseth took center stage at the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) convention flanked by acting and current secretaries for each branch of the military on Wednesday morning, saying the administration’s $1.5 trillion defense budget request amounts to a “one-time generational investment” in American war power after decades of “chronic underfunding.”
A small group of protesters, including one who briefly blasted what appeared to be a hand-held air horn, infiltrated the audience inside the Walter E. Washington Convention Center while the defense secretary spoke. One protester yelled that the $1.5 trillion budget was “killing people.”
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The disruptions were overshadowed by a chant of “USA, USA, USA” from hundreds of military officials and defense industry representatives in the audience.
With regard to the Pentagon budget, the Republican-controlled House has already passed a $1.15 trillion version of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2027. The spending legislation is currently sitting in the Senate, where it remains stalled amid Democratic resistance.
Defense industry insiders have expressed wariness that the budget could be derailed if Democrats take control of either the House or the Senate — or both — in the Nov. 3 midterms.
At issue is a roughly $350 billion gap between what the House has already passed and what Mr. Trump initially asked for. Much of that money is already earmarked for elements of a vast, advanced-technology military modernization effort being pushed by Mr. Hegseth.
The defense secretary, who appeared at the AUSA convention in front of a redesigned department logo, said it is “absolutely critical” for the military to receive the funds.
He downplayed the prospect of a budget meltdown around the midterms.
“Regardless of what happens in the midterm, we’re running fast, immediately with the committees to ensure that reconciliation bill at a minimum of $350 billion, potentially more, ultimately fills up what this department needs,” Mr. Hegseth said.
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