Hegseth Pushes $1.5 Trillion Military Budget at Joint Base Lindsey Graham Renaming Ceremony

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth called on Congress to approve a $1.5 trillion military budget for fiscal year 2027 during an August 10, 2026, ceremony renaming Joint Base Charleston to Joint Base Lindsey Graham in honor of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who died July 12, 2026, at age 71 from aortic dissection following a brief illness. Hegseth, who knew Graham for nearly 20 years since advocating for the Iraq surge as a veterans' group member, quoted Graham as calling the request 'the best military budget I’ve seen since I’ve been in Congress' during a recent meeting. The budget seeks a roughly 50% increase via a $1.15 trillion NDAA plus $350 billion supplemental, with Graham reportedly suggesting even higher supplemental funding. The event featured officials including Sec. of the Air Force Troy E. Meink, Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, and Sen. Darline Graham (Lindsey's sister, appointed July 13, 2026, to fill the vacancy). Graham, a longtime foreign policy hawk, died shortly after a Ukraine trip; his sister, a vocational rehabilitation specialist with no prior elected office, is expected to continue similar policies and is running in the special election. The Pentagon and multiple outlets have documented the renaming and budget push amid ongoing debates over defense spending levels.