Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth clashed with Democratic lawmakers in Congress for a second day on Thursday, rejecting senators' accusations that the war against Iran was launched without evidence of an imminent threat and was waged without a coherent strategy.
In his opening remarks, Hegseth called Democratic lawmakers "reckless opponents" and "defeatists from free countries" who have failed to recognize the US military's many successes against the Islamic Republic over the past two months and in other operations since President Donald Trump returned to office.
Hegseth said Trump has had the courage "unlike other presidents to make sure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon and that their nuclear blackmail never succeeds. We have the best negotiator in the world who is making great deals."
Senator Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, did not hold back in his opening statement, sharply criticizing the defense secretary's efforts to remake the military's culture and warning that his actions could cause long-term damage.
Reed argued that the war with Iran has left the US in a worse strategic position because the Strait of Hormuz has been closed and 13 members of the US military have been killed. Many more have been injured and equipment has been destroyed.
"The American people's trust in our military was built over 250 years. You are dismantling it in a much shorter time," Reed concluded.
Hegseth was given a warmer welcome by Senator Roger Wicker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who opened the hearing by noting that the US is in the most dangerous security environment since World War II. He also praised Trump's use of the military.
Through the war against Iran, Trump "has worked to strip away the regime's conventional military capabilities and force it back to the negotiating table for a permanent solution," Wicker said.
He also praised Trump's budget proposal for 2027.
"This $1.5 trillion request is full of important programs and initiatives that are absolutely necessary to secure American interests in the 21st century," he said.
The day before, Hegseth faced Democrats during a nearly six-hour hearing of the House Armed Services Committee, where he faced tough questions about the war's costs in dollars, lives and dwindling stockpiles of critical weapons.
The Senate committee is hearing a similar presentation on the Trump administration's 2027 military budget proposal, which would increase defense spending to historic levels. Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, are again emphasizing the need for more drones, missile defense systems and warships.
They are also likely to face tough questions about US troop levels in Europe after Trump on Wednesday issued a new threat against NATO ally Germany, suggesting he could soon reduce the US military presence in the country, while clashing with Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the Iran war.
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