Hegseth appeared before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, which has been stalled by the Pentagon’s late budget request this year. Incoming administrations often take longer to submit their first spending plan, but three months after the usual deadline, Congress still has no detailed request.

The proposed Department of Defense budget puts "America first" while addressing Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday.

The defense secretary will be accompanied by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine in his first post-confirmation testimony, as well. Caine replaced Gen. CQ Brown after the latter was fired by President Donald Trump in February for unspecified reasons.