Two Republicans who initially supported the measure flipped after extensive lobbying by the Trump administration.

Much of the president’s signature defense shield isn’t even supposed to be based on land.

The move comes as the Trump administration weighs options to punish Tehran over its crackdown on protesters.

Many of the troops and ships once at the president’s disposal have shifted to the Caribbean.

The options being presented to Trump would range from targeted strikes inside Iran to offensive cyber attacks.

The president’s populist-style attack on defense industry executives is part of a larger Pentagon strategy to transform the role of suppliers.

The Pentagon spy agency has backed away from its original appointment of Joe Francescon as NSA deputy director in August.

The procedural vote is a rare critique of Trump’s authority in the first test of GOP loyalty since last weekend’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

“We will rebuild it in a very profitable way,” he said in an interview with The New York Times.

The president offered few details in his post on Truth Social, other than to say the money would pay for his “Dream Military.”

“This is a topic that should be dropped," said Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker.

A closed-door Senate briefing with national security leaders about the capture of Nicolás Maduro did little to sway the entrenched positions of each party.