WASHINGTON (AP) —Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced questioning Wednesday from lawmakers for the first time since President Donald Trump’s administration launched the war against Iran.
Democrats have contested it as a costly conflict of choice waged without congressional approval. The chief financial official for the Pentagon told lawmakers that the estimated cost of the war with Iran is $25 billion so far.
During the hearing of the House Armed Services Committee, Jules Hurst III, the acting undersecretary of war for finances, said that most of the expense has been on munitions. Until now, Hegseth has avoided public questioning from lawmakers about the war, although he and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine have held televised Pentagon briefings.