Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared before Congress for a second day Thursday, responding to questions from Democrat lawmakers about the war with Iran, including concerns about whether it was launched without evidence of an imminent threat and whether it has a clear strategy.
In his opening statements, Hegseth criticized Democrat lawmakers, calling them “reckless naysayers” and “defeatists from the cheap seats,” and said they have not acknowledged what he described as U.S. military successes against Iran over the past two months and in other operations since President Donald Trump returned to office.
Hegseth said Trump has had the courage “unlike other presidents to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon and that their nuclear blackmail never succeeds. We have the best negotiator in the world driving a great deal.”
Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticized Hegseth’s efforts to change military culture and expressed concern about potential long-term effects.
Reed said the war with Iran has put the U.S. in a weaker strategic position, noting that the Strait of Hormuz is closed and that 13 U.S. military members have been killed. He also cited injuries to service members and damage to equipment.
“The American people’s trust in our military took 250 years to build. You are dismantling it in a fraction of that time,” Reed said.
Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, began the hearing by describing the current global security environment as the most dangerous since World War II and expressed support for Trump’s use of the military.
Through the war against Iran, Trump “has worked to remove the regime’s conventional military capabilities and force it back to the table for a permanent solution,” Wicker said.
He also supported Trump's proposed 2027 budget.
“This $1.5 trillion request is chock full of important programs and initiatives that are absolutely necessary to secure American interest in the 21st century,” he said.
A day earlier, Hegseth appeared before the House Armed Services Committee for a hearing that lasted nearly six hours, where lawmakers asked questions about the war’s financial cost, casualties and weapons supplies.
The Senate hearing is also focused on the Trump administration’s 2027 military budget proposal, which would increase defense spending. Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, emphasized the need for additional drones, missile defense systems and warships.
Lawmakers are also expected to ask about U.S. troop levels in Europe after Trump suggested he may reduce the military presence in Germany during a dispute with Chancellor Friedrich Merz related to the Iran war.
Republican senators are expected to focus on military budget details and express support for the Iran operation, while Democrats are expected to ask about the strategy, the current ceasefire and Hegseth’s dismissal of senior military leaders.
Democrats have described the conflict as a “costly war of choice that lacks congressional approval or oversight.” However, they have not passed war powers resolutions that would have required Trump to stop the conflict until Congress authorizes further action.
Under the War Powers Act of 1973, Congress must declare war or authorize the use of force within 60 days, a deadline that arrives Friday. The law allows for a possible 30-day extension, though the administration has not said publicly whether Trump will seek one.
According to a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity, the administration is in “active conversations” with lawmakers about the 60-day timeline.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Pentagon officials said the war has cost $25 billion, largely for munitions. Hegseth did not provide details on how long the war might continue or its potential future cost.
Hegseth also said a strike on an Iranian elementary school that killed more than 165 people, including children, is under investigation. The Associated Press has reported that evidence has increasingly suggested possible U.S. responsibility for the strike, which hit a school near a Revolutionary Guard base.
Rep. Pat Ryan, a Democrat from New York, asked whether the deaths of six American soldiers in a drone strike in Kuwait could have been prevented. Hegseth said the military had taken proactive measures to protect U.S. forces but did not directly address that question.
In another exchange, Hegseth told Rep. Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington, that Iran’s nuclear facilities were obliterated in U.S. strikes last June. Smith questioned the administration’s justification for initiating the war less than a year later.
“We had to start this war, you just said 60 days ago, because the nuclear weapon was an imminent threat,” Smith said. “Now you’re saying that it was completely obliterated?”
Hegseth responded that Iran “had not given up their nuclear ambitions” and still possessed thousands of missiles.
Smith said the war “left us at exactly the same place we were before.”
Hegseth was also asked about his decision to remove the Army’s top uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George, one of several senior military leaders dismissed since Trump returned to office.
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