US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is taking questions from members of Congress today for the first time since the start of the Iran war, the Associated Press notes, quoted by BTA.
Hegseth is facing skeptical Democrats and tense debate over the costly conflict that started without congressional approval.
The purpose of the hearing before the House Armed Services Committee was to discuss the administration's 2027 military budget proposal, which would increase defense spending to a historic $1.5 trillion.
Democrats quickly shifted attention to the rising cost of the war, the vast the depletion of key munitions in American warehouses and the bombing of an Iranian school that killed more than 160 girls.
"You can win a lot of small battles and lose the war, so you shouldn't go to war at all," said Congressman Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the committee.
"From my perspective, the strategy seems to be to use as much violence, threats and coercion as possible to bend the world to your will. I think that's a very dangerous strategy."
Hegseth responded to criticism from Democrats (and some of their Republican colleagues) that their doubts about the conflict are one of the biggest problems facing American military operations.
"The biggest challenge, the biggest adversary that we face at this time is the reckless, senseless and defeatist words of Democrats in Congress and some Republicans," the US defense secretary said.
The Pentagon's finance director announced today that the cost of the war so far is estimated at $25 billion.