Trump's $350 Billion Defense Plan Has One Narrow Window Left. Here Is What Is Riding on It.

Golden Dome, a near-doubling of munitions money, drones and new warships were all packed into a party-line reconciliation bill. With Democrats taking the purse strings in January, the lame duck is the last chance — and the odds are long. Here is what could be saved, and how.

By Clara Hughes

When Congress returned to Washington on Monday, one of President Trump's biggest unfinished priorities came back with it: rebuilding the military. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the pitch last week, calling for a "generational investment" of at least $350 billion. "The Department of War must be funded to meet the moment," he said. "We don't back down. And that especially applies now." The money was supposed to come through a third party-line reconciliation bill — the only path that does not need Democratic votes in the Senate. Now Republicans have until Jan. 3. Keep reading with Altas Premium. Below: exactly what is in the $350 billion package, why reconciliation is so hard in a lame duck, what Democrats say they will do