Democrats are stepping up their demands that Trump fire Hegseth after the midterm elections and warning they won’t support funding increases for the Defense Department while the military conflict with Iran is ongoing.
Republicans are warning that Trump will have to push back on Russian President Vladimir Putin and make a stronger commitment to Ukraine if he is to get the Defense funding increases the Pentagon needs after eight months of conflict with Iran.
This sets the stage for a political battle over the Department of Defense (DOD) after Election Day, and some Senate aides warn that if Trump doesn’t give significant ground after Democrats pick up seats in Congress, it could trigger another government shutdown.
“There’s no world in which Democrats are funding the Iran war,” said a senior Senate Democratic aide. “I think Republicans are going to have to do some version of reconciliation if they want to fund the DOD.”
“I don’t know how it plays out if it’s not through reconciliation because I think you’d be hard-pressed to find many, if any, Democrats who are willing to fund it,” the aide added.
Democrats are ramping up pressure on Trump to fire Hegseth after the Nov. 3 election and threatening to impeach him in the next Congress if Trump doesn’t shake up the Pentagon’s leadership.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) is threatening that Democrats will push hard to oust Hegseth if they win control of the House in next week’s elections, as many political handicappers project.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
