
In his opening statement during a hearing of Navy Department officials, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) on Tuesday strongly criticized the Trump administration’s fiscal year 2026 budget request for the Navy, arguing it shortchanges regular annual appropriations by wrongly assuming some lines will be filled by the reconciliation bill. “I must say, I am deeply disappointed with the administration's fiscal year 2026 budget request for the Navy. In particular, I'm disturbed about the shipbuilding account, which…