US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pressed Congress on Monday to approve the Pentagon's proposed $1.5 trillion fiscal 2027 budget, arguing at a ceremony renaming Joint Base Charleston for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham that full funding would be the strongest tribute lawmakers could offer. Hegseth called the request a "historic generational investment" and said Graham had described it as "the best military budget I've seen since I've been in Congress." President Donald Trump's proposal would raise military spending from the $901 billion approved for 2026 to $1.5 trillion in 2027, an increase of roughly 66%, but it still requires congressional approval and has drawn criticism from deficit hawks and budget analysts. The debate has sharpened during the Iran war, with Hegseth telling senators in July that the conflict had cost $37.5 billion and seeking nearly $70 billion in supplemental funding. Defense stocks including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX, General Dynamics and L3Harris have rallied on expectations of higher weapons spending, while the Pentagon says the increase would expand procurement, rebuild the defense industrial base and strengthen readiness.