McConnell hammers Hegseth over Pentagon funding plan, alienating allies

Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee Chair Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the Trump administration’s tenuous plans to fund key parts of the Pentagon’s $1.5 billion budget request and for alienating U.S. allies amid several major world conflicts. McConnell objected to putting crucial Pentagon programs — such as the Golden Dome…