Democratic Senator Gary Peters of Michigan Talks Pentagon Funding, Rising Gas Prices

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: Bloomberg Talks
Episode: Democratic Senator Gary Peters of Michigan Talks Pentagon Funding, Rising Gas Prices
Date: March 19, 2026
Host: Bloomberg
Guest: Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member, Senate Homeland Security Committee; Member, Armed Services Committee; U.S. Navy Veteran

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on growing Congressional scrutiny of the Biden administration's anticipated $200 billion request for supplemental Pentagon funding for the war with Iran. Senator Gary Peters of Michigan joins to critique the administration's lack of transparency and strategy regarding both military engagement and its impact on domestic issues, notably rising gas prices. The discussion spans military readiness, questions about ground troops, the prospect of a protracted conflict, and ongoing tensions within the Department of Homeland Security amid its closure.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Pentagon Funding Request ($200 Billion)

[00:37–02:52]

• Senator Peters firmly opposes the supplemental $200B ask, citing constitutional and fiscal concerns:
  • "Not now. No, absolutely not... Let’s remember, they never came to Congress to get authorization as is required under the U.S. constitution.” (Senator Peters, 01:33)
  • Points out Pentagon’s existing nearly $1 trillion budget should suffice without new appropriations.
  • Criticizes administration for asking for more funds without providing a concrete plan or defined 'end goal.'
• Echoes public frustration over rising gas prices in his state, linking them to war-related instability:
  • "In Michigan, gasoline is nearly $4 a gallon...It's having a negative impact on families all across my state." (Senator Peters, 01:33)

2. Military Readiness and Replenishment

[02:52–04:21]

• The host raises concerns about replenishing U.S. military stocks and broader readiness.
• Peters criticizes lack of planning:
  • Claims military replenishment and readiness should have been considered before going to war.
  • Questions the logic of entering conflict seemingly without strategy or preparations for aftermath.

"Every day goes by, it's pretty clear that this hasn’t been well thought out at all. It’s outrageous that the President took us into war without having these kinds of detailed plans."
— Senator Peters (03:12)

3. Protracted War and Budget “Padding”

[03:40–05:15]

• Segment references Taxpayers for Common Sense, questioning the need for $200B given the size of this year’s overall military budget and actual costs incurred.
• Peters insists on Congressional transparency:
  • Demands administration detail what the $200B would buy, suspecting potential for budget padding or escalation planning.
  • Concerns over continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and resultant economic harm.

4. Ground Troops and Escalation

[05:15–08:04]

• Discussion of suggestions from Israeli PM Netanyahu and White House leaks about possible ground troop deployment to Iran or to secure shipping lanes.
• Peters expresses grave reservations:
  • Insists on hearing concrete plans and justifications before supporting any ground deployment.
  • Points out the harsh reality of expecting Iranian civilians to rise up unarmed under threat of severe government retaliation.

"You're not going to win a war against an entrenched regime like you have in Iran just with an air campaign and expect the Iranian people to step up when they're not armed."
— Senator Peters (06:22)

• Technical, strategic obstacles highlighted—narrow strait, danger to Navy ships, vulnerability of tankers.

5. Forces, Capabilities, and Congressional Oversight

[08:04–09:03]

• Peters cites lack of Armed Services Committee briefings on military capabilities, emphasizing the seriousness and risks of the operation.
• Suggests U.S. military can act, but expresses doubt about having sufficient force on hand for such a large-scale mission.

6. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Nomination and Closure

[09:03–10:49]

• Peters addresses the controversial nomination of Senator Mark Wayne Mullen for DHS Secretary:
  • Raises “concerns about his temperament...not the temperament for someone to run DHS right now.”
  • Calls for a Secretary who can rebuild public trust and depoliticize the agency.

"We need a Secretary... that can rebuild trust with the American people... Having someone like Senator Mullen, who has shown to have a pretty short fuse, is probably not the right guy."
— Senator Peters (09:45)

• On ongoing DHS closure (now 33 days):
  • Senators want "common sense guidelines" for federal officers, similar to local police.
  • Asserts Democrats have tried repeatedly to fund TSA, FEMA, Coast Guard, CISA—but Republicans have blocked those measures seven times.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Senator Peters on constitutional authorization:
  "Let’s remember, they never came to Congress. They never came to Congress to get authorization as is required under the U.S. constitution." (01:33)

• On military planning:
  "Every day goes by, it's pretty clear that this hasn’t been well thought out at all." (03:12)

• On ground troops in Iran:
  "To expect them to go back out onto the streets to be basically killed by the Iranian military is a pretty tough ask. And I think that was the expectation of President Trump. He did not think this through the way he should have. And now we are in a mess." (06:22)

• On Mark Wayne Mullen’s temperament:
  "He is known to fly off at the handle, be somewhat of a hothead, I guess you could call him. Certainly that’s not the temperament for someone to run DHS right now." (09:45)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Pentagon Funding Request & Gas Prices: 00:37–02:52
• Military Readiness & Supplemental Justification: 02:52–04:21
• Budget Padding/Protracted War Concerns: 03:40–05:15
• Ground Force Proposals & Potential Escalation: 05:15–08:04
• U.S. Capabilities and Oversight: 08:04–09:03
• DHS Nomination and Closure: 09:03–10:49

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Tone & Language

Senator Peters maintains a critical and somewhat urgent tone, demanding transparency, responsible governance, and oversight. He appeals both to constitutional processes and practical concerns about constituent impact, particularly regarding economic dislocation from military conflict and national security leadership. The atmosphere is direct, occasionally tense, and focused on accountability.

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For listeners and readers, this episode provides a candid view into Congressional skepticism regarding large-scale military spending and foreign interventions—while weaving in urgent concerns about rising costs at home and the state of federal leadership.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Bloomberg Audio Studios Podcasts, radio news

[C]

the administration is now preparing to request additional funds for the war with Iran, as they have been teasing for weeks. With the Pentagon reportedly now on the verge of requesting $200 billion in supplemental funds from Congress, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not blink when that number came about when a reporter asked him this morning, listen, as far as $200 billion, I think that number could move. Obviously, it takes money to kill bad guys. So we're going back to Congress and folks there to ensure that we're properly funded for what's been done, for what we may have to do in the future. Joining us now is Democratic Senator Gary Peters of Michigan. He's ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, also a member of the Armed Services Committee. He's also a U.S. navy veteran. Senator, welcome back to Bloomberg TV and Radio. It's great to see you. $200 billion. Would you vote to approve?

[B]

Not now. No, absolutely not. You know, it's interesting. They use the language. We're going to go back to Congress. Let's remember, they never came to Congress. They never came to Congress to get authorization as is required under the U.S. constitution. And so that's not something that's going to happen. Right now, the Pentagon budget is roughly $1 trillion. There's plenty of money in the Pentagon budget. But if there's any hope to get my vote, they're going to have to come forward with a plan, which they haven't, they haven't come through with. What? What does end goal look like? What is, what does victory look like? And quite frankly, why haven't they still executed a plan to keep the Straits of Hormuz open? We've got consumers back home are now seeing in Michigan, gasoline is nearly $4 a gallon, almost a full dollar more expensive. It's continuing to go up. It's having a negative impact on families all across my state. And people are asking why? What's going on here? And now the president wants to spend even more taxpayer money, put us deeper into debt and cause Absolute chaos in the economy with rising costs. He's going to have to come to the American people and tell us exactly what's up. It's really outrageous that he hasn't done that in a way that's necessary.

[D]

Well, Senator, both the President and the Defense Secretary today were indicating that it is a matter in part of. Of replenishment, not just funding the war, but making sure that we have adequate stocks available for the next conflict if and when it arises. Is there not an argument to be made here around adequate military readiness and messaging to other adversaries?

[B]

Well, certainly at some point that has to be made, but I would hope they actually thought about that before they went to war. Every day goes by. It's pretty clear that this has been well thought out at all. It's outrageous that the President took us into war without having these kinds of detailed plans. I understand Israel was ready to attack and because of their decision, the decision was made by the President to attack. But we need to wage war based on our terms, not another country's terms.

[C]

Senator, we saw a statement today for the group Taxpayers for Common Sense responding to this idea of a $200 billion supplemental. 200 billion? Steve Ellis writes, is 20% of the Pentagon's budget this year much more than the direct cost of the war so far and likely more than will be needed anytime soon. Which begs the question, is the Pentagon just trying to pad its already massive budget or is the administration planning for a protracted war? You're on armed services. What do you get for $200 billion? Realizing we do have munitions to replenish, but what is the administration buying itself here when it comes to a protracted engagement?

[B]

Well, that's. Those are the question. Exact questions. Those are all good questions that have to be asked and they have to have answers. I said that is no question, a lot of money. And the current budget, as you mentioned, is $1 trillion. There's an awful lot of money in that budget. And in fact, we put money in the budget to replenish our stocks that were being used to help Ukraine. And so that was a part of the trillion dollar defense budget, was to build additional munitions and to make sure that we had our stocks. Clearly, this is different now that the President's gone to war. But those kinds of things should have been thought about before you go into war. And there needs to be a clear explanation to Congress as well as to the American people. This is taxpayer money that's going to be used and we still are dealing with the Straits of Hormuz that are closed, that are causing significant economic harm for a lot of people back home.

[D]

Well, Senator, it has been suggested that in order to secure the strait, it may actually require ground personnel on the shores of Iran. On the subject of a ground troop presence here, this is actually something we heard from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about just earlier today. Senator, take a listen if you would.

[E]

In the final account, as I said, it's up to the Iranian people to show that to choose the moment and to rise to the moment. We can create the conditions, but they have to, you know, they have to exploit those conditions at a certain point. It is often said that you can't win, you can't do revolutions from the air. That is true. You can't do it only from there. You can do a lot of things from the air and we're doing. But there have to be, there has to be a ground component as well. There are many possibilities for this ground component and I take the liberty of not sharing with you all those possibilities.

[D]

Many possibilities for this ground component. Senator, is there any kind of ground component that you would support if asked in the name of the global economy of commercial shipping?

[B]

Not until I hear the rationale and the justification for it. We need to hear exactly what those plans are before we'd even consider it. But clearly I have serious reservations about that. You know, this is not new information. Prime Minister Netanyahu talking about ground troops, that was true the day the bombing campaign started. You're not going to win a war against an entrenched regime like you have in Iran just with an air campaign and expect the Iranian people to step up when they are not armed. They have to fight an entrenched regime with a very brutal dictatorship at that, with military forces. We saw when they protested the government, tens of thousands of them were killed. So to expect them to go back out onto the streets to be basically killed by the Iranians military is a pretty tough, pretty tough ask. And I think that was the expectation of President Trump. He did not think this through the way he should have. And now we are in a mess.

[C]

Well, reporting today from Reuters says the White House is considering deploying thousands of US troops to reinforce the operation to be used to Cayley's point, to reopen the strait, but also some other areas. If we could seize the enriched uranium that's gone missing or take control of Carg Island. In this case though, our viewers and listeners should know you weren't just a Navy sailor, you were a Seabee. So you specialized in Demolition and construction. And you know what it's like to provide force protection. Would that even be possible to reopen the strait with the use of men and women on the ground? And could they be provided force protection that would keep them safe?

[B]

Well, certainly the U.S. navy, the military has the ability to open up the straits, but we just said you have to realize it takes a lot of assets to do that. You're going into a very dangerous environment. When you put Navy ships into the strait, that's very narrow, it's confined, that limits the maneuverability considerably with warships. You're also trying to protect tankers which are highly flammable, easy to hit with munition, and are going to explode in a dramatic way. And so you're going to need to have force protection, not just on the sea, but in the air and certainly land. So it's a significant operation. I'm not sure we have enough forces over there to do that. But we have not been briefed certainly in the Armed Services Committee, which is where we should have been briefed as to what assets we have and what the capabilities are for a major operation, which is. This would clearly be.

[D]

Well, Senator, of course, you don't just sit on the Armed Services Committee. You also are the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, which advanced today the nomination of Senator Mark Wayne Mullen to be the next Department of Homeland Security. Senator Secretary. Granted the chair voted with most of your colleagues on the Democratic side not to advance that, but because John Fetterman was. Was a yes, it will indeed move forward. You, of course, in his confirmation hearing yesterday, raised questions about his classified work in the Middle east that he couldn't get into detail, hence why that was then a conversation taking. Taken into the skiff. And I realize because of that, you can't share everything with us, but should the American people have concern about the backgrounds of the man who very likely is going to become the next DHS secretary?

[B]

Oh, I certainly they should have concerns that came out in the hearing. He doesn't have a full understanding of what the department actually does. We certainly have significant concerns about his temperament. He is known to fly off at the handle, be somewhat of a hothead, I guess you could call him. Certainly that's not the temperament for someone to run DHS right now. You know, right now we need a secretary of the Department of Homeland Security that can rebuild trust with the American people. It's been severely damaged because of incidents over recent months. We need to bring down the temperature, bring back trust. And having someone like Senator Mullen who is shown to have a pretty short fuse, is probably not the right guy. In fact, I don't think he is, which is why I voted no. And I think it was. It's going to be a problem in the future.

[C]

They only have one minute left. Senator, the Department of Homeland Security has been now closed for 33 days. Has anything changed in this standoff over demasking or judicial warrants that would change that in the next couple of weeks?

[B]

No. Well, there haven't been offers from the administration to do that. As you know, we just basically want some common sense guidelines for federal officers that they should have the same guidelines that our local police have in our local community. That should be pretty common sense. But it's not for Republicans. And I want to be clear when it comes to TSA and FEMA and the Coast Guard and cisa, the cyber security agency, Democrats have basically put separate bills to pay for every single one of those areas of dhs. And Republicans have blocked those bills in fact seven times. So they have not allowed us to actually make sure that those agencies have money. And, and you have to remember that CBP and ICE already are currently fully funded because of law that passed last year. So they're fully funded. But the agencies that are being held hostage, Republicans have blocked now seven times to get the resources necessary to open them up.

[D]

All right, Democratic Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, thank you for joining us.

[F]

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