Hegseth Faces Fire Over $25 Billion Iran War and Military Shakeups in Grueling Congressional Hearing

In his first congressional grilling since the Iran war erupted, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced a relentless barrage of questions from the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday. The session laid bare the growing fissures within Washington over the $25 billion price tag of the conflict and the Trump administration’s shifting rationale for launching it.

Pentagon figures revealed at the hearing put the war’s cost at $25 billion (€21 billion) so far, a staggering sum that has alarmed many lawmakers concerned about the human and financial toll. Hegseth, joined by General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was ostensibly there to push the administration’s 2027 military budget, which would raise defense spending to an unprecedented $1.5 trillion.

But the hearing quickly devolved into a fierce clash over the war’s justification. Representative Adam Smith challenged Hegseth on the administration’s contradictory claims that Iran’s nuclear facilities were obliterated in 2025 strikes, yet the war was still necessary less than a year later due to an “imminent threat.” “The war left us at exactly the same place we were before,” Smith said bluntly.

Democrats hammered home the message that the war has become a strategic quagmire, with no clear gains and devastating consequences including a deadly school bombing. They also tied the conflict to rising gas prices hurting American families, accusing Hegseth and President Trump of lying to the public from the start.

“Secretary Hegseth, you have been lying to the American public about this war from day one and so has the president,” said Representative John Garamendi, calling the war “a geopolitical calamity” and “a self-inflicted wound to America.” Hegseth fired back, accusing critics of being blinded by their hatred for Trump and dismissing their concerns as “defeatist.”

The hearing also spotlighted Hegseth’s controversial purges of top military brass. He defended the firing of General Randy George, the Army’s top uniformed officer, insisting “new leadership” was needed despite bipartisan unease. Hegseth has overseen a series of high-profile dismissals, including Navy Secretary John Phelan and several senior generals, fueling concerns about political interference in the military.

Republican Representative Don Bacon expressed “bipartisan concern” about the personnel upheaval but acknowledged Hegseth’s authority to make changes. Still, the pattern of firings under Trump’s second term raises troubling questions about stability and morale within the armed forces.

This hearing exposed deep divisions over the Iran war’s cost, conduct, and consequences. With no end in sight and mounting criticism from both sides of the aisle, the Trump administration’s approach to military conflict and leadership is under intense scrutiny. The American public deserves clear answers, not political spin, on a war that has already cost billions and countless lives.