4 Conclusions from Hegseth Hearings on Landmark Defense Budget Request, Iran War

Follow each of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent appearances before Congress, including his first day before the House Armed Services Committee and his second day before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appears before Congress in two hours-long hearings this week for the first time since the Trump administration launched a war against Iran, as the Pentagon chief faces tough questions from skeptical Democrats.

He watches: Hegseth’s controversial congressional hearing reveals partisan divide over Iran war

Hegseth appeared to emerge with strong Republican support regarding his leadership and handling of the war. But a few GOP lawmakers questioned his firing of a top Army general, while some sought assurances that the Pentagon was doing everything it could to prevent civilian deaths.

Hearings on Wednesday and Thursday before the House and Senate Armed Services Committees examined the Trump administration’s 2027 military budget proposal, which would boost defense spending to $1.5 trillion. Hegseth and other Pentagon officials stressed the need for more drones, missile defense systems and warships.

Read more: Trump calls for a significant increase in defense spending along with cuts in domestic spending

While Republicans focused on the details of the military budget and expressed support for the Iranian operation, Democrats questioned Hegseth about the ballooning costs of the war, the massive withdrawal of critical American munitions, and the bombing of a school that killed children.

Here are some takeaways from the hearings.

Hegseth has clashed with Democrats over Iran’s war strategy and its economic impact

The hearings were the first time a member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet has publicly defended the war on Capitol Hill since it entered the conflict without congressional approval two months ago.

Hegseth did not hesitate to criticize anyone who questioned the war.

He watches: Hegseth describes Democrats in Congress, and some Republicans, as the “biggest opponent” in the Iran war

“The biggest opponent we face at this point is the reckless naysayers and defeatist words of Democrats in Congress and some Republicans,” Hegseth said Wednesday.

He described the conflict as a historic victory for a president who, unlike his predecessors, supports his hard-line rhetoric on Iran. However, even Hegseth’s timeline for the war included an implicit acknowledgment that it would last much longer than Trump’s initial pledges of just a few weeks.

Democrats relentlessly questioned Hegseth about the war’s ultimate goals and sought to highlight the severe economic fallout felt by rising prices for gas and other commodities.

“I’m sad for all the people who voted for Trump. I’m sad for them because you betrayed them,” Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, told Hegseth as he questioned the costs of the war during a nearly six-hour hearing on Wednesday.

Sen. Jack Reed, the Senate committee’s top Democrat, said Thursday that the war had left the United States in a worse strategic position, with 13 American soldiers killed and more than 400 wounded.

The Strait of Hormuz, an important sea route for global oil shipments, remains closed, causing fuel prices to skyrocket. Iran still possesses highly enriched uranium and sufficient combat capabilities to keep the conflict at a stalemate.

“I’m concerned that you’re telling the president what he wants to hear instead of what he needs to hear,” Reid said.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is under increasing pressure from Republicans on Capitol Hill to find an end to the conflict, especially with the expiration of a legal 60-day deadline for the president to conduct the military campaign without authorization from Congress.

The deadline is Friday, but Hegseth claimed that because there was a fragile truce, “the 60-day clock is paused or halted in the ceasefire.”

“I don’t think the law would support that,” responded Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, adding that he had “serious constitutional concerns.”

The war on Iran has cost $25 billion so far

Pentagon officials told lawmakers that the cost of the war so far is $25 billion, with most of it spent on munitions. Operations and equipment repairs also contributed to costs.

However, that number was met with some skepticism on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers had expected the White House’s eventual war funding request to reach nearly $100 billion.

There are also concerns that the bombing campaign against Iran has depleted America’s supply of weapons, such as critical missile defense systems, which could leave the country vulnerable if conflicts erupt in other parts of the world.

Hegseth stressed that the Pentagon was not in danger of running out of munitions, but he also blamed any challenges on President Joe Biden’s decision to aid Ukraine as well as on the aging U.S. defense manufacturing industry.

“On the munitions front, we’re in really good shape, but we need to accelerate,” Hegseth told senators.

He presented the Pentagon’s budget request as vital to the goal of doubling munitions production rates, and said he plans to boost the industry so it can quickly replace any munitions used in the Iran war.

The budget request would be a record boost to defense spending that would increase the Pentagon’s budget by more than 40% from the previous year.

Pentagon dismissal angers Democrats and some Republicans

The defense secretary faced intense questioning from Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, about his decision to fire the Army’s most senior uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George, one of the most senior military officers to be fired since Trump took office again.

Holahan said George was highly respected by members of the military and Congress, and asked why Hegseth fired him. Hegseth responded that “new leadership” was needed, which he failed to satisfy.

“You have no way of explaining why you fired one of the most distinguished and distinguished men,” Hoolahan began before Hegseth interrupted. “We need new leadership,” he reiterated.

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa also spoke out about George, saying she was “disappointed” to see his retirement “accelerate.”

Ernst said George had “pulled the Army out of its worst recruiting crisis since the Vietnam era” and cut “non-essential” positions. George has served as Army Chief of Staff, which normally lasts for four years, since August 2023.

“He has had 38 years of honorable service,” Ernest said. “He has achieved the greatest recruiting and modernization efforts in the Army in a generation.”

The Iranian school bombing is still under investigation

Hegseth told House lawmakers that the deadly attack on an Iranian elementary school that killed more than 165 people, including several children, is an “unfortunate situation” that remains under investigation.

The Associated Press reported that there was growing evidence pointing to US responsibility for the February 28 raid, which struck a school adjacent to a Revolutionary Guard base in Iran. Experts, citing analysis of satellite images, said the school may have been bombed as bombs fell on the complex in quick succession.

The senators wanted to know what the Pentagon was doing to prevent civilian deaths.

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York asked Hegseth: “What is your response to targeting that has led to the destruction of schools, hospitals and civilian spaces? Why did you reduce by 90% the division that is supposed to help you not target civilians?”

Hegseth responded that the Pentagon has a “firm commitment” to do more than other countries to prevent civilian deaths.

Kennard reported from Columbia, South Carolina.