Top agency begging for more help as Trump fiasco bleeds cash

A top federal agency has reportedly been begging Congress for more funding behind closed doors, per a new Axios report, as it desperately tries to stem the bleeding of cash caused by President Donald Trump's biggest disaster.

In the report, Axios stated that the Pentagon has been angling for a "massive boost in military funds" in a future spending bill, beyond the current one that is being hashed out by Congress, which the outlet dubbed "Reconciliation 3.0." The ask is reportedly bigger than the $67 billion in funding allocated by the House version of the current reconciliation package, which the White House has backed. To that end, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly been making the case for more money during private meetings.

"Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and several undersecretaries gave Republican members of key Senate committees a detailed, closed-door briefing Tuesday morning, according to two sources familiar with the meeting," Axios detailed. "The officials gave an around-the-world threat analysis, laying out for senators how the U.S. stacks up against key adversaries — with an emphasis on China, the sources said. Officials showed 'candor' on U.S. munitions stockpiles amid the conflict with Iran, and provided 'a level of detail that the committees have been seeking,' as one source described it."

The issues driving this push for more funding include the widely reported depletion of the military's munitions stockpiles, brought on by Trump's war against Iran, which has spiraled on much longer than initially promised and has no real end in sight. Hegseth and other defense officials have also reportedly been pushing China as a major looming threat.

"The administration's case goes beyond replenishing weapons depleted by the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine," the report explained. "Officials are also sounding alarms about the need to invest in artificial intelligence now as China advances."

The Tuesday meeting was said to have taken place in a secure setting, with some classified materials being discussed. Democrats on the relevant committees were not invited, with The Daily Beast noting in its own report that Hegseth "has routinely excluded Democratic lawmakers from updates on the war..."

" Trump, 80, has failed to stick to any timeline for an end to the conflict he started in February," the Daily Beast's report detailed. "He’s occasionally said the war is 'already over' and, at other times, that it could last 'forever.' A temporary ceasefire he signed in June lasted just 21 days before peace talks fell apart. Washington and Tehran have returned to bombing one another with gusto in the weeks since."