Mike Waltz blames Biden for depleted Pentagon munitions stockpile, and says leakers ‘deserve to be in jail’

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said that former President Joe Biden is responsible for the Pentagon’s low supply of munitions. However, Waltz maintained that this shortage is not hurting the ongoing war effort against Iran.

Waltz made the comments during an appearance on NBC News’s Meet the Press, hosted by Kristen Welker. He said stockpiles had been depleted partly because of weapons the U.S. sent to Ukraine over the past four to five years.

Waltz also said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “inherited a depleted situation” from the Biden administration, pointing to U.S. strikes against the Houthis as another factor. The Trump administration carried out those strikes for nearly two months last year after the Yemen-based group targeted commercial ships in the Red Sea.

Reports point to a strained supply of interceptor weapons

NBC News reported Friday, citing U.S. military commanders, that officials have been selectively choosing which Iranian missiles and explosive-packed drones to intercept. This approach is being used to preserve the Pentagon’s shrinking supply of weapons designed to block incoming projectiles. Separate reporting has detailed how the military was letting missiles through to conserve its dwindling supply, a claim Waltz has dismissed.

Military analysts say it could take the U.S. four years or more to rebuild its weapons inventory. That estimate depends on whether Congress approves additional funding for the war effort. House Republicans approved a $95 billion budget framework on Wednesday as part of a broader reconciliation package that would, in part, increase funding for the Pentagon.

According to The Hill, this vote marked only the first step in a longer legislative process in the House, and the bill’s prospects in the Senate remain unclear. The House left for its August recess on Thursday, while the Senate is scheduled to break for the summer after this Friday. This timeline could affect when, or whether, additional funding is approved before the recess period.

Gen. Dan Caine, who chairs the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned the Senate Appropriations Committee earlier in the week about the consequences if Congress fails to approve $21 billion in supplemental funding requested by the administration for munitions. Caine raised similar concerns during a White House meeting about the munitions stockpile and the state of the Iran campaign.

Caine told Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), “If we don’t, as a team, figure out how to properly fund the department, and you know, we’re not going to get the munitions, and there’s going to be a lack of shared risk between the federal government and the private sector.”

Despite these warnings, Waltz said Sunday that the U.S. military currently has what it needs to carry out strikes against Iran. He also said that individuals who leak information about weapons stockpiles “deserve to be in jail,” though he did not name specific individuals or provide further detail on that claim.

Waltz told Welker, “I want to be crystal clear. The U.S. military, and I’ve verified this every which way, has everything that it needs to conduct this campaign as effectively as it needs to be.” He did not elaborate on how he had verified this assessment.

The comments come as reporting from NBC News has raised questions about the state of the Pentagon’s interceptor weapon supply, even as Waltz publicly maintained that current stockpiles are sufficient for ongoing operations. Whether Congress passes the requested funding could determine how quickly the military is able to replenish its inventory in the coming years.