Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took the offensive during a contentious House hearing Wednesday, lashing out at lawmakers who questioned the US-Israel operation against Iran while defending a $1.5 trillion military budget request that his own officials say is needed to sustain the two-month-old conflict.
Testifying alongside Gen Dan Caine, chair of the joint chiefs of staff, Hegseth rejected characterizations of the war as a quagmire, instead framing critics in Congress as obstacles to American security. "The biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans," he declared, words that deviated from his prepared statement.
The hearing unfolded as the Pentagon released sobering financial figures on the operation. Jules Hurst III, the Pentagon's chief financial officer, told the committee the war has cost an estimated $25 billion so far, with expenses driven largely by munitions consumption alongside operational costs and equipment replacement.
Tensions erupted when California Democrat John Garamendi accused Hegseth of presiding over "political and economic disaster at every level" and warned that President Trump had "gotten himself and America stuck in a quagmire of another war in the Middle East." Hegseth responded sharply, questioning whose side Garamendi was on and accusing him of handing propaganda to enemies by using the quagmire label.
"Your hatred for President Trump blinds you to the truth of the success of this mission and the historic stakes that the president is addressing that the American people support," Hegseth said. "You call it a quagmire, handing propaganda to our enemies? Shame on you for that statement."
The exchange reflected deeper divisions over the war's trajectory and costs. Ranking Democrat Adam Smith of Washington challenged whether the 50-60 percent spending increase could be responsibly managed and questioned the diplomatic isolation surrounding the campaign. He pointed to a strike on a school in the Iranian city of Minab during the operation's opening phase, in which Iranian officials say at least 168 people died, most of them children.
"We made a mistake and that happens in war," Smith said. "Two months after it happened, we refused to say anything about it, giving the world the impression that we just don't care."
Smith also pressed Hegseth on contradictions in the administration's narrative. When Hegseth declared that Iran's nuclear facilities had been "obliterated," Smith questioned how that squared with initial claims that nuclear weapons posed an imminent threat warranting military action. "So Operation Midnight Hammer accomplished nothing of substance," Smith concluded as Hegseth insisted the point was being missed.
The hearing took place as Trump escalated his own messaging about the conflict. The president posted an AI-generated image of himself wielding a weapon with the caption "NO MORE MR. NICE GUY" and told Axios he was prepared to maintain a naval blockade of Iran until a deal is reached, suggesting a prolonged standoff ahead.
Hegseth claimed Trump had "stared Iran down" and would now "get a better deal than anyone ever has and ensure Iran never has a nuclear weapon." He also highlighted what he called a historic 7 percent pay increase for lower enlisted troops as part of the budget package.
Committee Chair Mike Rogers, a Republican, signaled administration support from the outset, arguing the $1.5 trillion figure "accounts for the true cost of American deterrence" given spending patterns among global adversaries.
Protesters outside the hearing room chanted accusations that Hegseth and Caine were war criminals, with Capitol Police managing admission difficulties as public interest strained the building's capacity.
Author James Rodriguez: "Hegseth's aggressive deflection suggests the Pentagon brass knows the sticker shock and quagmire comparisons are hitting harder than the talking points can handle."
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