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Making his first appearance before Congress since the Trump administration went to war in Iran, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced withering questioning from skeptical Democrats Wednesday over a costly conflict being waged without congressional approval.<\/p>\n
The war has cost $25 billion so far, according to Pentagon numbers presented to the House Armed Services Committee during the contentious hearing that was ostensibly focused on the administration\u2019s\u00a02027 military budget proposal, which would boost defense spending to a historic $1.5 trillion.<\/p>\n
While Republicans focused on the details of military budgeting and voiced support for the operation, Democrats pivoted to the ballooning\u00a0costs of the war, the huge drawdown of\u00a0critical U.S. munitions\u00a0and the\u00a0bombing of a school that killed children. Some lawmakers also questioned President Donald Trump\u2019s dealings with allies and\u00a0his shifting justification for the conflict.<\/p>\n
Hegseth dismissed the criticism as political and rebuked lawmakers who pushed him for answers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest challenge, the biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans,\u201d Hegseth said.<\/p>\n
Wednesday\u2019s hearing stretched nearly six hours as Democrats and some Republicans questioned Hegseth over the war and his ouster of several top military leaders.<\/p>\n
In one tense exchange, Hegseth told Democratic Rep. Adam Smith that Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities were obliterated in a 2025 attack by the U.S., prompting Smith to question the Trump administration\u2019s reasoning for starting the Iran war less than a year later.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to start this war, you just said 60 days ago, because the nuclear weapon was an imminent threat,\u201d said Smith, the ranking Democrat on the committee. \u201cNow you\u2019re saying that it was completely obliterated?\u201d<\/p>\n
Hegseth responded by saying that Iran \u201chad not given up their nuclear ambitions\u201d and still had thousands of missiles.<\/p>\n
Smith said the war \u201cleft us at exactly the same place we were before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Democrats accused Hegseth of misleading Americans about the reasons for the conflict and said rising gas prices are now threatening the pocketbooks of millions of people in the U.S.<\/p>\n
\u201cSecretary Hegseth, you have been lying to the American public about this war from day one and so has the president,\u201d said Rep. John Garamendi of California, who called the war \u201ca geopolitical calamity,\u201d a \u201cstrategic blunder\u201d and a \u201dself-inflicted wound to America.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hegseth blasted Garamendi\u2019s remarks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are you cheering for here?\u201d he asked the lawmaker. \u201dYour hatred for President Trump blinds you\u201d to the success of the war.<\/p>\n
The defense secretary faced intense questions from Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, a Pennsylvania Democrat, about his decision to oust the Army\u2019s top uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George, one of several top military officers to be dismissed since Trump\u2019s reelection.<\/p>\n
Houlahan said George was deeply respected by both members of the military and Congress and asked why Hegseth fired him. Hegseth\u2019s response that \u201cnew leadership\u201d was needed failed to satisfy Houlahan.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have no way of explaining why you fired one of the most decorated and remarkable men,\u201d Houlahan began before Hegseth interrupted her. \u201cWe needed new leadership,\u201d he repeated.<\/p>\n
The Pentagon announced this month that Navy Secretary John Phelan was\u00a0stepping down. Hegseth previously removed Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy\u2019s top uniformed officer, and Gen. Jim Slife, the Air Force\u2019s No. 2 leader, while Trump\u00a0fired Gen. Charles \u201cCQ\u201d Brown Jr.\u00a0as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.<\/p>\n
Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska said that while Hegseth is empowered to make personnel changes, he shares what he called \u201cbipartisan concern\u201d about the firings.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a huge bipartisan majority here that had confidence in the Army chief of staff and the secretary of the navy,\u201d Bacon said. \u201cAnd I would just point out it may be constitutionally right \u2026 but it doesn\u2019t make it right or wise.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hegseth has said the changes are part of building a\u00a0\u201cwarrior culture\u201d\u00a0at the Pentagon.<\/p>\n
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina defended Hegseth\u2019s personnel moves, saying he is \u201ctrying to innovate and trying to change the way we do business.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad that you\u2019re firing people,\u201d Mace said. \u201cThere are people there that are getting in your way. They need to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the extended hearing, Hegseth detailed plans to increase pay for service members and upgrade munitions while also announcing that, as of Tuesday, the Pentagon had authorized $400 million in military aid for Ukraine in its fight against Russia.<\/p>\n
But the debate and the questions were dominated by the war in Iran.<\/p>\n
While\u00a0a fragile ceasefire\u00a0is now in place, the U.S. and Israel launched the war Feb. 28 without congressional oversight. House and Senate Democrats\u00a0have failed to pass\u00a0multiple\u00a0war power resolutions\u00a0that would have required President Donald Trump to halt the conflict until Congress authorizes further action.<\/p>\n
Republicans say\u00a0they back Trump\u2019s wartime leadership, for now, citing Iran\u2019s nuclear program, the potential for talks to resume and the high stakes of withdrawal. Still, GOP lawmakers are eager for the conflict to end, and some are eyeing future votes that could become an important test for the president if the war drags on.<\/p>\n
Democrats questioned Hegseth over the war\u2019s economic impact and rising gasoline costs, noting Trump\u2019s promise to\u00a0lower consumer costs. Hegseth responded by citing the threat posed by Iran.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is the cost of Iran having a nuclear weapon that they wield?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Republicans expressed support for Trump\u2019s decision to strike Iran, including Mace, who in late March had expressed concerns about the justification for the war. \u201cThe longer this war continues, the faster it will lose the support of Congress and the American people,\u201d she wrote in a social media post.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, Mace noted her past concerns but said she is \u201cimpressed with where we are today.\u201d She told Hegseth: \u201cEverything I have seen, you have surpassed all of my expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s closing of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping corridor for the world\u2019s oil, has sent\u00a0fuel prices skyrocketing\u00a0and posed problems for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections. The U.S. has imposed a\u00a0naval blockade of Iranian shipping\u00a0and three American aircraft carriers are in the Middle East for the first time in more than 20 years.<\/p>\n
The countries\u00a0appear locked in a stalemate. Trump told Axios on Wednesday that he is rejecting Iran\u2019s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for lifting the U.S. blockade.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
#strategic #blunder #Democrats #confront #Hegseth #Iran #wars #price #tag #hits #billion<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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