Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Washington during a House Armed Services committee hearing regarding the Pentagon's 2027 budget request. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth castigated Democrats on Wednesday for questioning the war in Iran, calling their “reckless, feckless and defeatist” words about the conflict “the biggest adversary we face” as he made his first public appearance on Capitol Hill since the war began.
He included “some Republicans” in his criticism as he testified before the House Armed Services Committee in a hearing on the Pentagon’s record $1.5 trillion budget request that repeatedly turned into a heated debate on the war.
“My generation understands how long we were in Iraq, how long we were in Afghanistan, how long we were in Vietnam,” Hegseth said in his opening remarks, adding that the U.S. was only “two months in on an existential fight for the safety of the American people.”
“We are proud of this undertaking. I am proud that President (Donald) Trump has had the courage to do it,” the secretary said after lashing out at members of Congress, mostly Democrats, for posing the “biggest challenge” in the war before lawmakers had asked a single question.
Democrats, in turn, assailed Hegseth for “lying” about the war “since Day 1,” describing it as a quagmire that has sparked a global energy crisis, caused hundreds of casualties among American service members and thousands among Iranians and rapidly depleted critical munitions.
Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Wednesday put the number of U.S. troops that had died at 14, including an Army National Guard member who died in Kuwait from a medical emergency as part of the count.
The chief financial official for the Pentagon said the war has cost $25 billion so far, mostly in munitions.
Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., said he held Hegseth ultimately responsible for the conduct of the war. While he praised the “extraordinary courage and tactical skill” of the military, he said the strategic direction of the conflict remained adrift.
“You have misled the public about why we are at war. You and the president have offered ever-changing reasons for this war,” he said to Hegseth in a lengthy rebuke of the war and the defense secretary. “The strategy has been an outstanding example of incompetence.”
Hegseth in response argued that Garamendi, and other Democrats who criticized the war, were undermining the mission and staining service members. He pointedly accused Garamendi of handing propaganda to America’s enemies.
“Who you cheering for here? Who you pulling for?” he said. “Our troops are doing incredible work. They’ve done incredible things for the entirety of this mission and achieved incredible battlefield successes. And you sit there and go on TV for your clickbait about quagmires.”
Caine told lawmakers that after two months of war, the Iranians were “weaker and less capable than they have been in decades.” They, however, still retain thousands of missiles and one-way attack drones, according to recent testimony by the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testifies on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Washington during a House Armed Services committee hearing regarding the Pentagon's 2027 budget request. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
Hegseth said Wednesday that the primary mission of the war was to deny Iran the capability to develop a nuclear weapon. He said a bombing campaign last summer had “obliterated” Tehran’s nuclear facilities but acknowledged that Iran’s nuclear ambitions have continued.
Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the committee, pointed out that the Trump administration launched the war on Feb. 28 claiming Iran’s nuclear program was an imminent threat.
The U.S., in its negotiations with Iran to end the war, is asking that Iran hand over the fuel stockpile it has built up in the past eight years and halt further enrichment. Tehran has been resisting both of those demands.
Hegseth refused to answer how much longer the conflict could go on, saying it won’t be “for years and decades,” and dismissed what he called “gotcha” questions from Democrats about how much the war will cost Americans in increased gas and food prices.
“What would you pay to ensure that Iran doesn’t get a nuclear bomb?” he said.
Republicans largely avoided criticizing Hegseth, though two members — Don Bacon, of Nebraska, and Austin Scott, of Georgia — voiced their objection to a recent wave of firings at the Pentagon, including the ousters of Gen. Randy George as the Army’s top uniformed officer and John Phelan as the secretary of the Navy.
“It may be constitutionally right — you have the constitutional right to do these things — but it doesn’t make it right or wise,” Bacon told Hegseth.
Bipartisan pushback to the Iran war is expected to increase as the conflict reaches the 60-day mark on Friday, a deadline by which some Republicans have said they want to see Trump either wind down the conflict or seek congressional authorization to continue it.
