Hegseth Defends War as Iran War Cost Hits $25bn
Pete Hegseth defended the iran war on Wednesday before the House Armed Services Committee, rejecting John Garamendi's description of it as a quagmire while the Pentagon said the campaign has cost the United States at least $25bn and counting.
Hegseth called the conflict against Iran “an existential fight for the safety of the American people” and said the administration was proud of the undertaking. Jules Hurst III told lawmakers the estimate mostly came from munitions and also included operations, maintenance and replacing equipment.
House Armed Services Committee hearing
The hearing put Hegseth in direct conflict with Garamendi, a California Democrat, after Garamendi said on the House floor that “The president has gotten himself and America stuck in a quagmire of another war in the Middle East.” Hegseth shot back: “Who are you cheering for here? Who are you pulling for?”
Hegseth then added: “Your hatred for President Trump blinds you to the truth of the success of this mission and the historic stakes that the president is addressing that the American people support.” He also said, “You call it a quagmire, handing propaganda to our enemies? Shame on you for that statement.”
Trump's war timeline
The conflict was already two months old when Hegseth appeared on Wednesday. Donald Trump had predicted it would last four to six weeks, a forecast that now sits beside the Pentagon's $25bn cost estimate and the continuation of the operation.
Hegseth also said, “The biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans,” as he defended the campaign under questioning from lawmakers.
Pressure on the Pentagon
The cost figure gives Congress a sharper measure of what the war is already consuming. Hurst's estimate covers munitions, operations, maintenance and equipment replacement, showing that the expense extends beyond the immediate use of weapons.
Trump added to the political pressure around the conflict on Wednesday by posting an AI-generated image of himself holding a weapon amid explosions with the caption “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY” and writing that Iran “better get smart soon.” Trump also told Axios that he stands prepared to keep Iran under a naval blockade until a deal is reached.
The next pressure point is the same one that defined Wednesday's hearing: whether Hegseth and other Trump administration officials can keep defending the campaign as the spending climbs and the war continues past the four-to-six-week timeline Trump once predicted.
