Congressman Gonzalez Demands Answers After Claims on the Navy Will Run Out of Money by July Due to Iran War
A budget shortfall threatens South Texas’s capability to maintain premier aviation training responsibilities for the Navy and Marine Corps.
Contact: Alexis Torres
Washington, D.C. – After Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle warned Congress that the U.S. Navy could run out of money by July due to ongoing military operations in the Middle East, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) is demanding answers from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao regarding the impact a funding shortfall could have on national security and military training and readiness. South Texas is home to Naval Air Station (NAS) Kingsville and NAS Corpus Christi, which together produce 800 new naval aviators each year, including 50% of all Navy and Marine Corps tactical jet pilots.
“I write with serious concern over the impending funding shortage at the U.S. Department of the Navy caused by costs associated with extended combat operations in the Middle East, such as Operation Epic Fury, and were not accounted for in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 [P.L. 119-75]. If the Department continues to divert funds from other accounts to fund this unauthorized war, there will be substantial disruptions on Navy personnel, “...training, operations, and certification events...” across the country by July,” said Congressman Gonzalez.
Specifically, the Congressman requested information on whether the Department of Defense will request supplemental war funding from Congress rather than draw down its baseline operations and maintenance budget; which training programs the Navy will be forced to halt or delay should they reach a funding shortfall; and which other Naval operations will be affected.
The Administration’s unauthorized war in Iran has cost American taxpayers nearly $29 billion, resulting in South Texans paying on average more than $4 per gallon to fill up their gas tanks. Without a clear or strategic end in sight to the ongoing conflict, out-of-touch Republicans in Washington, D.C., will continue to shift money away from other critical readiness and operational initiatives while dismissing the burden placed on families already struggling to make ends meet. For instance, on May 12, President Trump stated he doesn’t “think about Americans’ financial situation.”
Congressman Gonzalez’s full letter can be viewed here.