Hegseth faces congressional grilling

What's happened

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has testified twice before Congress this week about the U.S. war with Iran and a proposed $1.45–$1.5tn Pentagon budget, with officials publicly putting the conflictcost at $25bn. Lawmakers have pressed for a strategy, probed civilian casualties and stockpile depletion, and challenged Hegseth on troop use at US polls and senior officer dismissals.

What's behind the headline?

What is happening

• Pete Hegseth has been testifying publicly to defend Operation Epic Fury, the Pentagonbudget request and the administration's conduct of the war on Iran.
• Senators and representatives are pushing for clearer timelines, accounting for costs and explanations for command decisions that have reshaped senior leadership.

What matters

• The Pentagon has provided a $25bn headline figure for the war so far, but lawmakers and economists are arguing that the true economic impact will be far higher. That divergence will force more oversight hearings and demand clearer accounting of munition depletion and long-term replacement costs.

Who is driving the story

• Hegseth is driving the narrative by publicly defending the war, attacking critics as "defeatists" and seeking a larger budget. Congressional Democrats are driving oversight pressure by pressing on legality, civilian harm and civilian-protection staffing cuts. Some Republicans are also questioning personnel changes.

Likely next steps

• Congress will increase pressure for formal, detailed accounting of costs and for legal clarity on the 60-day War Powers timeline; this will lead to further hearings and possible funding restrictions.
• Public disputes over troop deployment to domestic polling places and Hegseth's personnel actions will keep political pressure high and could prompt investigations or resolution votes.

Consequences for the reader

• The war will continue to shape US budget priorities and may increase energy prices and defence-industry activity; lawmakers' actions this month will determine if Congress constrains the administration's scope or funding.

How we got here

The hearings have been prompted by Operation Epic Fury, which began Feb. 28 and has led the Pentagon to request a near-record 2027 budget. Lawmakers have been reacting to a ceasefire, a high munitions burn-rate, a deadly strike on an Iranian school under investigation, and concerns about congressional oversight under the War Powers Act.

Our analysis

The coverage shows consistent core facts and different emphases. The New York Times (John Ismay) and AP reported that Hegseth has defended the war and that the Pentagonhas placed an initial $25bn price tag on the conflict, noting that officials "said that figure is mostly representative of the tens of thousands of bombs and missiles used" (NYT). Al Jazeera flagged economists' and Democratic leaders' view that the $25bn estimate is a significant underestimate, arguing the broader economic cost "could amount to between $630bn and $1 trillion." The Guardian (Robert Tait) and The Independent (Joe Sommerlad; Andrew Feinberg) highlighted confrontations over civilian deaths, personnel purges and whether Hegseth would obey any order to deploy uniformed troops to collect ballots; The Independent records Hegseth answering, "I've never been ordered to do anything illegal, and I won't," when pressed by Sen. Elissa Slotkin. The New York Post focused on Hegseth's combative tone and the administration's $1.5tn budget pitch, quoting Hegseth calling critics "reckless naysayers" while also noting bipartisan concern about removed senior officers. Together, these sources show a consistent narrative: the Pentagon is defending operations and seeking major budget increases while legislators are demanding clearer accounting, legal justification and answers about civilian harm and leadership changes. Readers seeking the official cost figure should read the Pentagon comptroller quotes in the New York Times and Al Jazeera; readers seeking the political confrontation should read The Independent and The Guardian for direct exchanges with senators and representatives.

Go deeper

• Will Congress impose funding limits or reporting requirements on the war?
• What specific accounting will the Pentagon provide for the $25bn figure?
• How will the 60-day War Powers clock be resolved given the declared ceasefire?

More on these topics

• Pete Hegseth - United States Secretary of War

  Peter Brian Hegseth (born June 6, 1980) is an American government official and former television personality who has served since 2025 as the 29th United States secretary of defense. Hegseth studied politics at Princeton University, where he was the publi

• Iran - Country in the Middle East

  Iran, also called Persia, and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and Azerbaijan, to the north by the Caspian Sea, to the northeast by Turkmenistan, to the east by Afghanistan a

• Dan Caine - U.S. Air Force general (born 1968)

  John Daniel "Razin" Caine (born 10 August 1968) is an American general and venture capitalist who became the 22nd chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2025. He served as the associate director for military affairs at the Central Intelligence Agency...

• Donald Trump - 45th and 47th U.S. President

  Donald John Trump is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021.

• United States - Country in North America

  The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or America, is a country mostly located in central North America, between Canada and Mexico.

• Joe Biden - President of the United States

  Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. is an American politician who is the 46th and current president of the United States. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017 and represented Delaware in the United States Senate

• Elizabeth Warren - United States Senator

  Elizabeth Ann Warren is an American politician and academic serving as the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts since 2013. She was formerly a prominent scholar specializing in bankruptcy law.

• Elissa Slotkin - U.S. Representative

  Elissa Blair Slotkin is an American politician and former CIA analyst and the United States Representative for Michigan's 8th Congressional District.