Hegseth tells Senate Trump deserves praise for Iran war
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended Trump’s Iran campaign during a tense Senate hearing that was interrupted by anti-war protesters.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators Tuesday that President Donald Trump should be praised for the U.S. war in Iran, setting off a sharp exchange during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill.
Hegseth appeared before the committee as lawmakers reviewed Trump’s June 24 supplemental funding request. The hearing came about five months after Trump began the conflict in Iran, according to Rolling Stone.
“President Trump deserves the kind of praise he should get for undertaking this effort,” Hegseth said, according to video of the hearing shared by journalist Aaron Rupar on X. Hegseth said Trump had shown “the courage to ensure that crazy Islamists can’t have a nuclear weapon to hold us at issue.”
Sen. Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat, immediately pushed back. “Excuse me, so he should be praised for starting a war without authority?” Reed asked. He also accused Trump of creating a situation in which “the world economy is suffering tremendously.”
Protesters interrupt the hearing
Hegseth’s testimony was repeatedly disrupted by anti-war demonstrators, according to Rolling Stone.
One protester held a banner reading “NO WAR ON IRAN” and shouted, “Your hands are bloody with 17 Americans,” while being removed from the room by law enforcement, the outlet reported.
Another protester yelled, “Stop bombing our children in Iran and Palestine, this is illegal,” according to the report. Rolling Stone said additional interruptions followed during Hegseth’s remarks.
The defense secretary used the hearing to press lawmakers for more money for the Department of Defense and Trump’s military agenda. “Not funding this department at $1.5 trillion, I believe, is the greatest threat our nation faces,” Hegseth said.
Questions over Pentagon money
Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, questioned Hegseth about the size of the supplemental request and existing Pentagon funds, according to a video posted on X by Acyn.
Durbin said he understood the funding request totaled $87.6 billion and asked whether the Defense Department still had $75 billion in unobligated funding from the previous year’s reconciliation package. Hegseth answered, “Roughly.”
Hegseth also said the U.S. military is “no longer run by bureaucrats” and is instead led by “combat tested veterans and world class business leaders who are running the department like a business,” according to video cited by Rolling Stone.
The hearing unfolded as casualties from the conflict continue to draw scrutiny. The New York Times reported that at least three additional U.S. servicemembers were killed in recent days by Iranian strikes. The Times also reported that the Pentagon has repeatedly withheld information about U.S. casualties during the war.
Rolling Stone reported that at least 17 U.S. servicemembers have been killed as a result of the conflict.
Trump addressed the war Tuesday afternoon on Truth Social, where he compared the Iran conflict with past U.S. wars including Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea and Vietnam. “Iran Military Conflict: 4 months, 18 DEAD,” Trump wrote, according to Rolling Stone.
This story draws on original reporting from Rolling Stone.