WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 12: U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee on the FY2027 budget request in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 12, 2026 in Washington, DC. The Trump administration is asking for an unprecedented $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon, an increase of 50-percent over last year's budget. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has faced tough questions from Republican and Democratic lawmakers about the Trump administration’s end game for the Iran war, the rising cost of the conflict and its impact on diminishing U.S. weapons stockpiles. The Pentagon chief got pushback from members of his own Republican Party about munitions and President Donald Trump’s intense criticism of traditional allies for not taking part in the conflict. In hearings Tuesday, Hegseth insisted the military has plenty of missile defense systems and other weapons. Pentagon officials also said the cost of the Iran war has risen to about $29 billion, most of it to repair and replace munitions.
(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
