Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Monday that reaching a compromise on defense spending "should not play second fiddle to our Democratic colleagues' political strategy."
"Our fundamental obligation is to provide for the common defense of our country," McConnell said on the Senate floor.
But one week after Congress returned from its August recess, "our Democratic colleagues tried to stonewall the defense funding bill in committee, and are now indicating they may even filibuster a motion to begin considering the House-passed defense funding later this week."
In July the House passed a $733 billion defense bill, without any Republican support, because the Democratic-controlled chamber sought to cut military spending by $17 billion and deny President Donald Trump funding for building a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico.
The bill also includes an amendment that would bar Trump from attacking Iran without first obtaining congressional approval.
Last month, the Senate, where Republicans hold the majority passed its own defense bill, which includes $750 billion for the Pentagon and would not try to limit Trump's power to shift military funds toward paying for the wall.
Lawmakers must now work out a compromise.
McConnell said Senate Democratic resistance to doing so proved "some of our Democratic colleagues have determined they would rather stage a political fight with President Trump than secure the resources that our uniformed commanders urgently need to do their jobs.
"National security is taking a back seat to partisan politics."
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.