US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing questions about the Pentagon’s USD 1.5 trillion budget request; a massive bill with a 42-percent jump in spending that, if passed, would be the largest Pentagon request as a percentage of GDP since the Cold War.
In opening remarks to the House Armed Services Committee, Hegseth urged support for President Donald Trump’s USD-1.5-trillion budget request for the Defense Department, arguing that level of investment was necessary not only for military readiness, but to revitalize the economy.
Hegseth’s appearance, along with Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, before the committee Wednesday marks the first time the defense secretary has publicly testified before House lawmakers since the war with Iran began.
Lawmakers are questioning Hegseth and Caine about the Pentagon’s 2027 budget request as well as Trump’s decision to strike Iran. Jules Hurst III, the Pentagon’s acting comptroller, said the war in Iran has cost about USD 25 billion, the most recent public estimate offered by the Defense Department.
The total mostly accounts for munitions fired during the conflict that began February 28, alongside the cost of surging so many forces to the Middle East and replacing equipment lost during the fighting, he said.
“We’re rebuilding a military that the American people can be proud of, one that instills nothing less than unrelenting fear in our adversaries and the utmost confidence in our allies. We fight to win in every scenario,” Hegseth noted.
