Senators grill Hegseth, Caine on Iran war funding, claims of ‘victory’

During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine requested nearly $70 billion to fund military operations against Iran. Democrats and some Republicans expressed skepticism, with Democrats accusing President Trump of initiating a war without congressional authorization. Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.) stated, "We have no outcome—at least no realistic outcome—in sight." Hegseth defended the administration's actions and criticized Democrats for opposing funding, calling it "political cowardice." Republicans questioned if the requested funds were sufficient to achieve victory, with Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) asking, "Is this enough money to get the job done, or is this going to just get us far enough until we've got to come back in here?" The discussion also touched on the president's legal authority under the War Powers Act and previous claims of "victory" over Iran, which Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) challenged, noting that Hegseth would not confirm if his earlier statement that Iran's military had been "destroyed and made combat ineffective" was truthful.