“It seems at times you are more passionate about fighting cultural wars than winning the real war we are in.”

Senator Coons’ opening statement at the Department of Defense’s FY27 budget request hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee in Washington, D.C., with testimony from Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman Caine.

As of May 2026, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) serves on the Appropriations, Foreign Relations, Judiciary, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and Select Committee on Ethics. Most relevant to this hearing, he is the Ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee.

During his opening statement, Coons argued that the future of warfare is shifting toward smaller, lighter, faster, and more distributed lethal capabilities, many of which will be autonomous. He warned that moving toward a “Golden Fleet” or new battleship-style platform risks giving adversaries a larger target instead of a more capable and survivable force.

He closed by raising concerns about reconciliation and the defense budget process, warning that it could leave billions of dollars in errors or unresolved gaps.

Watch the entire subcommittee here: