Representative Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) is demanding answers after members of Congress learned that the United States Navy could run out of funding by July due to the ongoing war in Iran, disproportionately impacting South Texas.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently testified that the war has cost the U.S. over $29 billion, mostly due to expended munitions and damaged or destroyed aircraft.
There is also a budget shortfall specific to the Navy, according to Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle, that threatens South Texas’s ability to maintain its premier aviation training resources for the Navy and Marine Corps.
With no clear end to the war in sight, Rep. Gonzalez issued a letter last week calling on Secretary Hegseth and Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao for answers on which Navy training programs and operations could be halted or delayed due to funding shortfalls.
“If the Department continues to divert funds from other accounts to fund this unauthorized war, there will be substantial disruptions on Navy personnel,” Rep. Gonzalez wrote in his letter.
South Texas is home to Naval Air Station (NAS) Kingsville and NAS Corpus Christi. These two installations produce 800 new naval aviators each year, including 50% of all Navy and Marine Corps tactical jet pilots.
“Any disruption in funding for U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps training caused by a funding shortfall would severely degrade military readiness, compromise our domestic installations and directly jeopardize broader national security,” Rep. Gonzalez wrote.
But Rep. Gonzalez is not the only Texas member working to reinforce the Navy’s budget.
Earlier this month, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) stressed the need to rebuild the naval power and Marine Corps readiness during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Navy’s FY2027 budget, which is requesting a record $377.5 billion
Rep. Jackson said this is a chance to restore maritime dominance and address growing global threats.
“This budget represents a defining moment to reassert the United States as the world’s greatest maritime power, rebuild our industrial base and deliver a larger, more capable fleet to our Sailors and Marines,” Rep. Jackson said.
