Hegseth defends Iran war's mission, costs in first testimony since conflict began

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in his first appearance before Congress since the Iran war started, downplayed the length of the war and said the biggest "adversary" the U.S. faces at this point in the war is the "reckless, feckless and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans."

"Two months in, on an existential fight for the safety of the American people, Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb, we are proud of this undertaking," Hegseth said in his opening remarks before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump, at the outset of the war, said the conflict would be over within a matter of weeks.

Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine are testifying about the Pentagon's budget for the 2027 fiscal year and taking lawmaker questions for the first time since the war against Iran began two months ago.

The war has now dragged beyond its second month and has caused global economic turmoil as Iran has choked vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz since the beginning of the conflict.

Armed Services Committee ranking member Adam Smith, D-Wash., also questioned Pentagon comptroller Jules Hurst about the cost of the war, which has not been fully fleshed out publicly. The administration has yet to send Congress a supplemental spending request to finance the war.

Hurst, who is also testifying, said the war's cost is estimated at $25 billion so far, mostly in munitions. Hurst said the Pentagon will send a supplemental request once it has a full assessment of the cost of the conflict.

White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought in congressional testimony April 15 declined to estimate the cost of the war. Vought spoke to the House Budget Committee shortly after a Harvard University analyst found the war could cost taxpayers $1 trillion.

The U.S. military has burned through munitions during the conflict, which Congress will need to provide funding to replenish. The Pentagon is also asking for a massive $1.5 trillion fiscal 2027 budget, which is expected to draw scrutiny from lawmakers.

The hearing is allowing Democrats, who have largely opposed the war, to publicly question Hegseth and the administration on their plans and on the cost of the war. The secretary took an adversarial tone towards Democrats' questions, frequently interrupting their lines of inquiry.

Smith said in his opening statement that while the "proficiency of our military has been on display," the administration has not met its strategic goals and questioned whether the administration has a plan to win the conflict.

"As we sit here today, Iran's nuclear program is exactly what it was before this war started," he said. "They have not lost their capacity to inflict pain, they still have a ballistic missile program, they're still able to blockade the Strait of Hormuz and have the ships that are capable of doing that. What is the plan to get that to change?"

Pressed by Smith on the strategy for reducing Iran's nuclear threat, Hegseth said Iran's nuclear facilities have been "obliterated," a line he's consistently used for weeks, and the U.S. action was necessary to destroy a "conventional shield" to safeguard Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

Hegseth said the goal is to "get them to a point where they're at the table," giving up nuclear weapon ambitions.

"They haven't broken yet," Smith said.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.