Lawmakers Grill Hegseth on Cost of War, Trump's Endgame

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced tough questions Tuesday from Republican and Democratic lawmakers about the Trump administration's endgame for the Iran war, the conflict's rising $29 billion cost, and its impact on diminishing US weapons stockpiles. While the Pentagon chief softened his tone from hearings before Congress nearly two weeks ago, notably avoiding the same pointed criticism of lawmakers, he got far more pushback from members of his own Republican Party about the levels of US munitions used in the Iran war and President Trump's intense criticism of traditional allies for not taking part in the conflict, the AP reports.

• The hearings before the powerful House and Senate Appropriations defense subcommittees spanned four hours as they reviewed the Trump administration's 2027 military budget proposal, which calls for a historic allocation of $1.5 trillion. The discussions quickly veered into the handling of a war that appears locked in a stalemate.

• Munitions. "I take issue with the characterization that munitions are depleted in a public forum," Hegseth said. "That's not true." Even as he insisted that the U.S. military has plenty of missile defense systems and other munitions for the Iran war or future conflicts, Hegseth told House and Senate lawmakers overseeing defense spending that the Trump administration is working to ramp up production of weapons.
• The cost of the war. Pentagon officials also told lawmakers that the cost of the Iran war has risen to about $29 billion, the vast bulk of which—roughly $24 billion—is related to replacing munitions and repairing equipment but also includes operational costs to keep forces deployed. That is up from the overall total of $25 billion that Pentagon comptroller Jay Hurst revealed nearly two weeks ago. He said the updated estimate does not include the cost to repair or rebuild US military sites damaged in the region.
• Allies. Hegseth faced notable pushback from Republicans on the Trump administration's straining of relations with longtime allies, with Sen. Mitch McConnell telling Hegseth that "NATO is the most important military alliance in world history." "It seems to me that a lot of the European countries think that we're reducing our influence there, they're sort of on their own," said McConnell, the GOP chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on defense. Straining relations with allies "only serves our adversaries' interests and limits our capacity and deterrent power globally," McConnell said, per the Hill.

• Plans to end the war. Minnesota Rep. Betty McCollum, the defense subcommittee's ranking Democrat, pressed Hegseth on whether the military has a plan to draw down troops in the Middle East if Congress passes so-far-unsuccessful efforts to end the Iran war. "We have a plan to escalate if necessary," Hegseth said. "We have a plan to retrograde if necessary. We have a plan to shift assets." Lawmakers from both parties complained about what appears to be a lack of strategy, the Washington Post reports. "No wonder this damn thing is going nowhere," said GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, who objected to Pakistan's role in the peace process.
• The Strait of Hormuz. Republican Sen. Susan Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, questioned whether the Trump administration anticipated Iran's closure of the strait, which has surged gasoline prices. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the president is briefed with carefully considered military options. "It seems to me that there's been a different plan almost daily of, with dealing with this problem, which is why I ask," said Collins, who joined Democrats last month in a failed vote to halt the conflict. Democrat Sen. Chris Coons pressed Hegseth on the administration's plans to reopen the strait to shipping. In a tense exchange, Hegseth accused Coons of ignoring "incredible battlefield successes." Coons shot back that he was worried that "you've achieved a series of tactical successes but are on the verge of a strategic loss."
• The cost to Americans. "You're spending families' hard-earned tax dollars on a war that many strongly oppose, and you're forcing people to pay more at the pump," said Democratic Sen. Patty Murray. "And yet you're not even providing a real breakdown for the cost of this war." Hegseth responded rhetorically: "What is the cost of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon? And the fact that this president has been willing to make a historic and courageous choice to confront that it comes with cost—and we recognize that."