Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced a combative Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Tuesday, where he estimated that the U.S. war with Iran has cost $37.5 billion so far. Hegseth provided the new estimate during the hearing, which came days after the Pentagon announced that three more American service members have died in the conflict, bringing the death toll to 17, and that more than 100 have been injured since early July.
War Funding and Protests
Hegseth said the supplemental war funding is an “urgent, necessary” injection of money, and with President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget a generational investment in the military. However, protesters interrupted his opening remarks several times, and senators from both parties questioned the cost and strategy of the war.
Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the panel, warned of “another forever war.” She also criticized President Trump’s handling of the conflict, saying that he has repeatedly claimed that “a deal is near, and the war will be over soon,” but is now asking for $70 billion more in funding. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins also testified before the panel.
Republican Budget Proposal
The proposed budget package includes $60 billion and $12 billion for other national security needs, along with $10 billion for farm aid and $10 billion for voting law changes. The GOP budget proposal is expected to flow through the reconciliation process, which enables the majority to approve the plan on its own, over the objections of Democrats in the minority.
Sen. Susan Collins, the Republican chair of the committee, opened the hearing by expressing concern over the Pentagon’s blocking or denying promotions to various officers, particularly women and minorities. Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire questioned why Hegseth is asking for more money when the department has not yet spent about half the $150 billion Republicans provided the Pentagon in last year’s big budget bill.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
