What to know:
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced nearly six hours of questioning from House lawmakers for the first time since the Trump administration launched the war against Iran, which Democrats have contested as a costly conflict of choice waged without congressional approval. He’ll return to the Capitol tomorrow to face the Senate.
- President Donald Trump, meanwhile, told Axios on Wednesday that he’s rejecting Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a lift of the U.S. blockade — a plan that would postpone discussions of Iran’s nuclear program.
- Until now, Hegseth has avoided public questioning from lawmakers about the war, although he and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, have held televised Pentagon briefings.
- Democrats quickly pivoted to the ballooning costs of the Iran war, the huge drawdown of critical U.S. munitions and the bombing of an elementary school that killed children. Some lawmakershave also questioned how prepared the military was to shoot down swarms of Iranian drones, some of which penetrated U.S. defenses and killed or injured American troops.
- The chief financial official for the Pentagon told lawmakers that the estimated cost of the war with Iran is $25 billion so far, adding that most of the expense has been on munitions. The military has also spent money on running the operations and equipment replacement, he said. The administration’s 2027 military budget proposal would boost defense spending to a historic $1.5 trillion.
- Republicans have said they will keep faith in Trump’s wartime leadership, for now, citing Iran’s nuclear program, the potential for talks to resume and the high stakes of withdrawal. Still, GOP lawmakers are eager for the conflict to end, and some are eyeing future votes that could become an important test for the president if the war drags on.
Source: AP news
