Hegseth clashes with Democrats – and some Republicans – for 2nd day over war on Iran
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sparred with Democratic lawmakers in Congress for a second day on Thursday, rejecting allegations by Iran lawmakers that the war on Iran was launched without evidence of an imminent threat and was carried out without a coherent strategy.
The three-hour Senate Armed Services Committee hearing focused heavily on the positions of Republicans and Democrats on the conflict, Hegseth’s leadership and the ways in which US President Donald Trump has used the US military.
In his opening statements, Hegseth called Democratic lawmakers “apathetic and naive” and “cheap-seated losers” who failed to recognize the many successes of the U.S. military against the Islamic Republic.
Hegseth said Trump had the courage “unlike other presidents to make sure that Iran never got a nuclear weapon and that their nuclear fraud would never succeed. We have the best person in the world at negotiating and driving.”
Democrats asked Hegseth questions about his efforts to rebuild military culture, Ukraine’s support for Ukraine and whether Trump would seek federal approval for the war. The defense secretary, as the Trump administration overruled him again, said the cease-fire postpones the deadline for such approval.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth defended the US and Israel-Iran war in a fiery speech to Congress on April 29. He denied that the war was a sham and attacked Democratic critics.
Hegseth appeared to have strong Republican support, although several Republican senators questioned the firing of the top Army general and sought assurances that the Pentagon was doing everything it could to prevent deaths.
The hearing was called to discuss the Trump administration’s military budget proposal for 2027, which will increase defense spending to a record $1.5 trillion US. Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, emphasized the need for more drones, missile defense systems and warships.
The Democrat says the war has left the US in a worse position
Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said the war had left the US in a terrible state, with 13 American soldiers killed, more than 400 wounded and equipment destroyed.
The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, causing fuel prices to skyrocket, Reed said. Iran has enriched uranium and maintained enough hostilities to keep the conflict at bay, while the hard-line Iranian regime remains in power.
“I am concerned that you have been telling the president what he wants to hear instead of what he needs to hear,” said Reed. “Bold assurances of success are an affront to the commander-in-chief and the soldiers who have risked their lives for them.”
Reed also criticized Hegseth for firing top military leaders and suggested the secretary of defense failed to recognize the achievements of women and people of color in the military. Reed noted that 60 percent of the twelve officers fired by Hegseth were women or black.
Hegseth said any firings are performance-based and that previous Pentagon leaders “focused on social engineering, race and gender in ways that we think were unhealthy in the department.”
He was also asked if he personally benefits from the war by making strategic investments.
“Did you, through your broker at Morgan Stanley or did you want to invest in any defense-related funds right before Trump started the Iran war?” Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren asked.
An exasperated Hegseth replied, ”I’ll give it to you as a big fat negative.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren confronted US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about whether he had made defense-related investments before the war in Iran began during her second day of testimony before Congress.
A warm welcome from the Republicans
Hegseth received a warm welcome from Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chairman of the committee, and other Republican lawmakers. Wicker began the hearing by noting that the US is in the most dangerous security position since World War II.
With the war against Iran, Trump has “worked to remove the regime’s conventional military power and force it back to the table for a permanent solution,” Wicker said.
He also praised the 2027 budget proposal, saying it is “full of important programs and initiatives needed to secure America’s interests in the 21st century.”
Sen. Deb Fischer, also a Republican, praised Hegseth’s statement on the need for nuclear deterrence and the development of Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense system.
“This committee has known for years that we must improve our ability to protect our country from many different threats,” said Fischer.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth angrily defended the Iran war strategy at the White House in a heated debate, where he again broke with Democrats after being asked whether US President Donald Trump was mentally fit for the job.
Questions about civilian deaths
Senators also focused on the death toll in the Iran war and the Pentagon’s decision to close a congressionally mandated office created to reduce civilian casualties.
The Associated Press reported that mounting evidence points to the US being responsible for a deadly strike on an Iranian elementary school near a Revolutionary Guard base that killed more than 165 people, including children.
Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand asked Hegseth, “What’s your response to the targeting that led to the destruction of schools, hospitals, civilian areas? Why did you cut 90 percent of the allocation that’s supposed to help you not target civilians?”
Hegseth responded that the Pentagon has an “ironclad commitment” to do more than other countries to prevent deaths.
American media, including the New York Times and Reuters, report that the initial results of an internal military investigation suggest that the deadly missile attack on a girls’ school in Minab, Iran, may have been the result of US use of targeted data.
The day before, Hegseth clashed with Democrats during a nearly six-hour House Judiciary Committee hearing, where he faced tough questions about the cost of war in dollars, lives and the shrinking stockpile of critical weapons.
Hegseth said on Wednesday that the strike at the Iranian school was still under investigation.
Military decisions fail to succeed
Democrats have called the conflict an expensive war of choice that lacks congressional authorization or oversight. But they failed to pass multiple war-power resolutions that would have required Trump to halt the conflict until Congress approved further action.
Under the War Powers Act of 1973, Congress must declare war or authorize the use of force within 60 days – a deadline of Friday. The law provides for a possible 30-day extension, but the Republican administration has not said publicly whether Trump will seek it.
Sen. Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, asked Hegseth whether Trump would seek congressional approval or ask for a 30-day extension. The military secretary said the clock stops when the conflict is stopped. Kaine disagreed based on his legal studies.
The Trump administration is in “active discussions” with lawmakers about a 60-day timeline, according to a White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private discussions.
