In Hostile Hearing, Democrats Accuse Hegseth of Misleading Public on Iran War Progress

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived on Capitol Hill on Wednesday facing what was supposed to be a budget hearing. Instead, he confronted something the Trump Administration has largely avoided during two months of war with Iran: direct, sustained questioning over whether it has misled the public about why the United States entered the conflict, what it has achieved, and how or when it will end.In a combative appearance before the House Armed Services Committee, House Democrats accused Hegseth and President Donald Trump of offering shifting justifications for the war, obscuring its mounting costs, and refusing to level with Americans about a campaign that has already killed 13 U.S. service members and cost at least $25 billion, according to the Pentagon’s first public estimate.Again and again, lawmakers pressed for a clear definition of victory, a timeline for ending hostilities, and an explanation of why the Administration’s public claims about Iran’s nuclear program have changed over time. Hegseth largely declined to provide specifics, instead denouncing critics as defeatists, questioning their patriotism and insisting the mission had broad public support.“The biggest challenge, the biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans,”