Pentagon US Iran

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon, Thursday, April 16, 2026 in Washington.

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Hegseth faces withering questions about Iran in first congressional appearance since war began

Hegseth faces withering questions about Iran in first congressional appearance since war began

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced withering questioning in his first appearance before Congress since the Trump administration went to war against Iran. Skeptical Democrats on Wednesday grilled Hegseth over a costly conflict being waged without congressional approval. The war has cost $25 billion so far. That's according to Pentagon numbers presented to the House Armed Services Committee during a contentious hearing ostensibly focused on the administration’s 2027 military budget proposal. While Republicans focused on the details of military budgeting and voiced support for the Iran operation, Democrats questioned Hegseth about the ballooning costs of the war and the huge drawdown of critical U.S. munitions.