Trump Nominates Jay Hurst as Pentagon Comptroller

President Trump formally nominated Jay Hurst to become the full-time Pentagon comptroller in a notification sent to Congress on Wednesday. Hurst has served in the acting role since August 2025. 15 trillion in the base budget and an additional $350 billion proposed in a reconciliation package.

Hurst previously served as assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs. He also held the position of undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. He worked as a legislative director and defense advisor to House Speaker Mike Johnson. Hurst is a former Army intelligence officer.

Hurst told reporters in April that the administration placed high-priority items in the reconciliation package for added flexibility on spending obligations. He noted that mandatory spending allows quicker adjustments when technology changes rapidly, citing programs such as Golden Dome and the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group.

“We put a lot of high priority things in [reconciliation] for a variety of reasons. ”

Hurst added that if the reconciliation bill does not pass, the administration will revisit the budget request with the White House and Congress.

U.S. an estimated $29 billion. The figure rose from $25 billion last month due to updated repair and replacement costs for equipment and ongoing operational expenses.