Under fire on Capitol Hill: Hegseth faces bipartisan scrutiny over Iran war

TEHRAN -- US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth came under intense bipartisan scrutiny during a contentious Senate Appropriations Committee hearing as lawmakers challenged the Trump administration's strategy in the war against Iran, questioned the rapidly escalating financial and human costs of the conflict, and demanded greater transparency over the Pentagon's long-term objectives.

Hegseth told senators that the war has already cost the United States approximately $37.5 billion, a figure significantly higher than previous estimates, while requesting $67.1 billion in additional Pentagon funding as part of an $87.6 billion supplemental package submitted by the White House.

Senator Patty Murray likewise criticized what she described as the administration's request for a "blank check," arguing that Congress should not approve tens of billions of dollars in additional funding without a detailed explanation of how the conflict would end.

Defense analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) argued that although the administration has framed the supplemental request as wartime spending, much of the proposed funding reflects longer-term Pentagon modernization priorities rather than immediate operational costs, raising questions about how much of the package is directly linked to combat requirements.