Hegseth Testifies to Congress in First Hearing Since Iran War Began

On Wednesday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth testified before the House Armed Services Committee in the first hearing since the Iran War began.

The Details: Hegseth defended the cost of the war, which the Pentagon said was $25 billion in the first two months, by emphasizing that the short-term pain was worth making sure that Iran never would have a nuclear weapon. The Pentagon is seeking a $1.5 trillion military and defense spending budget for fiscal year 2027. Democrats on the committee also grilled Hegseth on the firing of General Randy George, the Army Chief of Staff, on April 2.

Key Quote: "President Trump, unlike other presidents, has had the courage to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon, and he's ironclad in that we had the best negotiator in the world driving that deal," Hegseth said during his opening remarks. He added, "The biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans."

For Context: The Iran war began on February 28 when US and Israeli forces commenced attacks. About 5 1/2 weeks later, on April 8, a ceasefire agreement was reached and negotiations began.

How the Media Covered It: The story was more widely covered by the center and left, and not as widely by the right. Though several sources on the right published coverage before the hearings began. CNN (Lean Left bias) reported that "three people familiar with the matter" said the Iran war has potentially cost double what Hegseth told Congress because the amount did not include the cost of damaged US military bases. Similar to many outlets from the left and center, The Epoch Times (Lean Right) framed its headline around the cost estimate. It also noted the war has resulted in material costs to replace weapons and equipment as well as higher gas prices.

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