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WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth clashed with Democratic lawmakers in Congress for a second day Thursday, rejecting senators’ accusations that the Iran war was launched without evidence of an imminent threat and waged with no coherent strategy.
In his opening statements for a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Hegseth called Democratic lawmakers “reckless naysayers” and “defeatists from the cheap seats” who have failed to recognize the many successes of the U.S. military against the Islamic Republic.
Hegseth said President Donald 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 committee’s ranking Democrat, argued that the war with Iran has left the U.S. in a worse strategic position. The Strait of Hormuz is closed, fuel prices have skyrocketed and 13 American service members have been killed, Reed said. Many others have been injured, and equipment has been destroyed.
“I am concerned that you have been telling the president what he wants to hear instead of what he needs to hear,” Reed said. “Bold assurances of success are a disservice to both the commander in chief and the troops who risked their lives based on them.”
Hegseth defends Pentagon firings
Reed also lambasted Hegseth for his firing of top military leaders and suggested the defense secretary had an intense interest in Christianity and nationalism, while failing to recognize the accomplishments of women and people of color in the military. Reed noted that 60% of some two dozen officers fired by Hegseth have been female or Black.
Hegseth said any firing is based on performance and that previous Pentagon leaders “were focused on social engineering, race and gender in ways that we think were unhealthy for the department.”
“Our department allows for a multitude of faiths,” Hegseth said. “I don’t know what you’re suggesting. I’ve heard the likes of things that people like you suggest, to try to smear my character, and I won’t give in to it.”
The Senate committee was convened to discuss the Trump administration’s 2027 military budget proposal, which would boost defense spending to historic $1.5 trillion. Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, are stressing the need for more drones, missile defense systems and warships.
Republican chairman offers warmer welcome
Hegseth received a warmer welcome Thursday from Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chairman of the committee, and other GOP lawmakers. Wicker kicked off the hearing by noting that the U.S. is in the most dangerous security environment since World War II. He also praised 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 praised Trump’s budget proposal for 2027.
“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.
Sen. Deb Fischer, a Republican from Nebraska, praised Hegseth’s statement on the need for nuclear deterrence as well as the development of Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense program.
“For years, this committee has known that we must improve our ability to defend our homeland against a wider variety of threats, and we finally have a partner with the full backing of the department to lead the charge,” Fischer said.
Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, gave Hegseth a chance to talk about the military’s efforts to minimize American casualties during the Iran war. Cotton also asked Hegseth whether he ever lied to Trump, pushing back against Reed’s claim that Hegesth tells the president what he wants to hear.
“I only tell the truth to the president,” Hegseth said.
Secretary battled Democrats in separate House hearing
A day earlier, Hegseth battled with Democrats during a nearly six-hour House Armed Services Committee hearing, where he faced sharp questioning over the war’s costs in dollars, lives and diminishing stockpiles of critical weapons.
Democrats call it a costly war of choice that lacks congressional approval or oversight. But they have failed to pass multiple war powers resolutions that would have required Trump to halt the conflict until Congress authorizes further action.
Under the War Powers Act of 1973, Congress must declare war or authorize use of force within 60 days – a deadline that arrives Friday. The law provides for a potential 30-day extension, but the Republican administration has not indicated publicly whether Trump will seek it.
The administration is in “active conversations” with lawmakers on addressing the 60-day timeline, according to a White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.
Also at Wednesday’s hearing, Pentagon officials said the war has cost $25 billion, mostly in munitions. But Hegseth refused to answer questions about how much longer the war would last or how much more it could cost.
Hegseth also said a deadly strike on an Iranian elementary school that killed more than 165 people, including children, remains under investigation. The Associated Press has reported that growing evidence pointed to U.S. culpability for the strike, which hit a school adjacent to a Revolutionary Guard base.
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