Embattled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth erupted at a California Democrat who dubbed the war in Iran a “quagmire” during a congressional hearing into the conflict, which has so far cost an estimated $25 billion.
Hegseth is being questioned under oath by the House Armed Services Committee alongside Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, as negotiations to end President Donald Trump’s war remain at an impasse.
California Democrat John Garamendi said Trump has got himself “stuck in the quagmire of another war in the Middle East” and accused Hegseth of “misleading” the American people.
“Shame on you for that statement,” Hegseth said. “Don't say, I support the troops on one hand, and then a two month mission is a quagmire…Who you cheering for here? Who you pulling for?”
The war, which Hegseth pledged in early March would likely last between “four to five weeks,” has now entered its eighth week.
Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, who was one of six Democrats who put out a video telling U.S. servicemembers that they can refuse illegal orders, told The Independent that he was going to ask Hegseth about “the corruption and the rank mismanagement of the department.”
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Briefing: What we know on 61st day of Iran war
- President Donald Trump has reportedly told his aides to prepare for a prolonged blockade of Iran, choosing sustained economic pressure over further strikes or withdrawal.
- Oil prices rose on news there was no end in sight to blockade
- U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testifies before Congress on war
- Trump claimed Iran has informed the U.S. it was "in a State of Collapse", though this has not been confirmed by Tehran.
- A public spat between Donald Trump and German chancellor Friedrich Merz erupted after the latter said the U.S. was being “humiliated” by Iran
- The United Arab Emirates has quit Opec after nearly 60 years, weakening the group and signaling a major shift in global oil politics and regional alliances.
- Former US officials have criticized the lack of transparency over the deadly Minab school strike in Iran, calling the Pentagon’s silence “highly unusual”
Watch: Republicans and Democrats question Hegseth over firing of senior military staff
Hearing is in recess
The hearing is taking a short break.
Republican Rep. Don Bacon shares concern over high-profile firings at the Pentagon
Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska also shared his concern about Pete Hegseth’s firings of high-profile military officials in recent weeks.
They include Army Chief of Staff General Randy George and Navy Secretary John Phelan.
“I share a bipartisan concern of the firings that we’ve seen at the Pentagon for the six service chiefs,” Bacon said.
“We had a huge bipartisan majority here that had confidence in the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of Navy. I would just point out it may be constitutionally right … but it doesn’t make it right or wise.”
Hegseth asked why he fired Gen. Randy George
Asked about why he fired Army Chief of Staff General Randy George, Hegseth accused him of having "destroyed the culture" of the Pentagon and says the Defense Department "needed new leadership."
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania was not impressed, telling him: "You have no way of explaining why you fired one of the most decorated and remarkable men."
“Your answer is a very immature way of responding to my request." she added.
Watch: Khanna says Hegseth "betrayed" Trump voters with Iran war
Democrat Ro Khanna says Hegseth doesn't know what gas or food costs
California Democrat Ro Khanna quizzed Pete Hegseth about numbers and claimed the defense secretary doesn’t know the cost of basics like gas or food.
Read the exchange below:
Khanna: Will you acknowledge that there were 970 pounds of uranium enriched after Trump tore up the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action?
Hegseth: The JCPOA was a terrible deal that allowed Iran a path to a nuclear bomb.
Khanna: You deal with vague platitudes. I'm asking you about numbers. Like you don't know what gas costs, you don't know what food costs, you don't know what the operation costs. You know, I get sound bites, but how about numbers? Do you know how much the enriched uranium was after you ripped up the JCPOA?
Hegseth: I'll give you a number. I know that, as was stated by early on, the price of gas is twice as expensive in California, your home state, than it is anywhere else in the country because of the horrible policies your state pursues.
Khanna: That type of stuff worked, and then you started to lose the people that you campaigned you wanted to be for because you said you won't get us into bad wars. You said you would bring down the prices. You know what I'm sad for? I'm sad for all the people who voted for Trump. I'm sad for them because you betrayed them. You betrayed a lot of that MAGA base.
Pictured: Democrats roast Hegseth at hearing as defense sec hits back
Democrats are on the attack and Hegseth is fighting back, as these pictures show.
The hearing got heated as Democrats grilled the defense secretary about his leadership at the Pentagon.
'You were incompetent then, you're incompetent now': Democrat attacks Hegseth over 'incompetency'
Democratic Rep. Salud Carbajal attacked Pete Hegseth and said he was “incompetent” when it was his turn to quiz the defense secretary.
“Mr. Hegseth, I stand by what I said last time you were here. You were incompetent then, you're incompetent now,” he said.
'Do you call Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz winning?'
Moulton asked Hegseth whether closing the Strait of Hormuz constitutes winning.
“Well, I would say the blockade that we hold that doesn't allow anything to come in or out of Iranian ports,” Hegseth said.
“So we've blockaded their blockades,” Moulton replied. “They blockaded us and then we blockaded their blockade. That's like saying ‘Tag, you're it.’ Or, you know, if President Madison said, well, ‘the British just burned down Washington, but don't worry, we're going to burn it down as well.’”
Hegseth appeared to smirk at this point in the exchange.
