Hegseth gets bipartisan grilling on rising costs of the Iran war and
Trump's end game
[May 13, 2026]
By BEN FINLEY, KONSTANTIN TOROPIN, BILL BARROW and STEPHEN
GROVES
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced tough questions
Tuesday from Republican and Democratic lawmakers about the Trump
administration's end game for the Iran war, the conflict's rising $29
billion cost and its impact on diminishing U.S. weapons stockpiles.
While the Pentagon chief softened his tone from hearings before Congress
nearly two weeks ago, notably avoiding the same pointed criticism of
lawmakers, he got far more pushback from members of his own Republican
Party about the levels of U.S. munitions used in the Iran war and
President Donald Trump’s intense criticism of traditional allies for not
taking part in the conflict.
“I take issue with the characterization that munitions are depleted in a
public forum,” Hegseth said. “That’s not true.”
Even as he insisted that the U.S. military has plenty of missile defense
systems and other munitions for the Iran war or future conflicts,
Hegseth told House and Senate lawmakers overseeing defense spending that
the Trump administration is working to ramp up production of weapons.
Pentagon officials also told lawmakers that the cost of the Iran war has
risen to about $29 billion, the vast bulk of which — roughly $24 billion
— is related to replacing munitions and repairing equipment but also
includes operational costs to keep forces deployed. That is up from the
overall total of $25 billion that Pentagon comptroller Jay Hurst
revealed nearly two weeks ago. He said the updated estimate does not
include the cost to repair or rebuild U.S. military sites damaged in the
region.
Republicans tout the importance of American allies
Hegseth faced notable pushback from Republicans on the Trump
administration's straining of relations with longtime allies, with
Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell telling Hegseth, “NATO is the most
important military alliance in world history.”
“It seems to me that a lot of the European countries think that we’re
reducing our influence there, they’re sort of on their own,” said
McConnell, the GOP chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on
defense.
Trump has assailed NATO allies and others for not helping reopen the
Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping corridor, or otherwise
offering more support, saying he plans to pull thousands of troops out
of Germany in the coming months.
Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House
Appropriations Committee, voiced his concerns in a separate hearing,
saying, “America First has never meant American alone.”
“American power is most effective when it’s exercised in concert with
like-minded nations who share our interests and our values,” Cole said.
Hegseth gets bipartisan pushback on munition stockpiles
The hearings before the powerful House and Senate Appropriations defense
subcommittees spanned four hours as they reviewed the Trump
administration’s 2027 military budget proposal, which calls for a
historic allocation of $1.5 trillion.
The discussions quickly veered into the handling of a war that appears
locked in a stalemate as higher fuel prices pose political problems for
Republicans in the midterm congressional elections.
California Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, the House subcommittee's chair,
asked about the impact of the Iran war on military funding as well as
weapons stockpiles drawn down from the conflict.
“Questions persist about whether we are building the depth and reliance
required for a high-end conflict,” Calvert said.
Minnesota Rep. Betty McCollum, the defense subcommittee's ranking
Democrat, pressed Hegseth on whether the military has a plan to draw
down troops in the Middle East if Congress passes so-far-unsuccessful
efforts to end the Iran war.
“We have a plan to escalate if necessary," Hegseth said. "We have a plan
to retrograde if necessary. We have a plan to shift assets.”
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testifies at a Senate Appropriations
subcommittee on defense hearing on the budget request for the
Department of Defense, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP
Photo/Alex Brandon)
He said he would not reveal any next steps publicly. Noting repeated
questions from lawmakers over weapons stockpiles, Hegseth said the
concerns have been “unhelpfully overstated” and "we have plenty of
what we need.”
He said the defense industry has been told to "build more and build
faster,” blaming the military industrial base's inadequate capacity
on previous administrations and U.S. aid to Ukraine in its war with
Russia.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies has painted an
alarming picture of U.S. stockpiles of munitions, including
interceptors that can defend against incoming enemy missiles on land
and sea.
The think tank said in an April analysis that American forces
“expended more than half of the prewar inventory” on four key
weapons systems and that rebuilding to adequate levels for a
possible war with China “will take additional time.”
Trump administration faces pressure from the economic impact of
the Iran war
Trump is facing increasing pressure from the economic shocks of Iran
effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, where 20% of the world's
oil normally flows. The U.S. military in turn has blockaded Iranian
ports and the two sides have traded fire, with American forces
thwarting attacks on their warships and disabling Tehran-linked oil
tankers.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations
Committee, questioned whether the Trump administration anticipated
Iran’s closure of the strait, which has surged gasoline prices.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the
president is briefed with carefully considered military options.
“It seems to me that there’s been a different plan almost daily of,
with dealing with this problem, which is why I ask,” said Collins,
who joined Democrats last month in a failed vote to halt the
conflict and is facing a tough reelection fight.
Democrats in both hearings repeatedly questioned what the cost of
the war would be, from repairing damaged military installations in
the Middle East to the rising fuel prices.
"You’re spending families’ hard-earned tax dollars on a war that
many strongly oppose, and you’re forcing people to pay more at the
pump,” said Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington state.
“And yet you’re not even providing a real breakdown for the cost of
this war.”
Hegseth responded rhetorically: “What is the cost of Iran obtaining
a nuclear weapon? And the fact that this president has been willing
to make a historic and courageous choice to confront that it comes
with cost — and we recognize that.”
Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, the ranking Democrat on the Senate's
subcommittee, repeatedly asked how the Trump administration will
reopen the strait to commercial shipping.
“If we control it, how do we reopen it?" Coons pressed Hegseth in a
tense exchange.
Hegseth responded defensively, saying the senator was being
disingenuous and ignoring the “incredible battlefield successes.”
Coons shot back that he was worried that “you’ve achieved a series
of tactical successes but are on the verge of a strategic loss.”
——
Barrow reported from Atlanta.
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