Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will face questioning from lawmakers today for the first time since US President Donald Trump launched the war against Iran.

The hearing before the House Armed Services Committee is being held to discuss the administration’s 2027 military budget proposal, which would boost defense spending to a historic $1.5 trillion.

Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, are expected to stress the need for more drones, missile defense systems and warships.

Democrats are likely to pivot to the ballooning costs of the Iran war, huge drawdown of critical US munitions and bombing of a school that killed children. Some lawmakers also may question how prepared the military was to shoot down swarms of Iranian drones, some of which penetrated US defenses and killed or injured American troops. As for Republicans, they have said they will keep faith in Trump’s wartime leadership, for now.

Meanwhile, talks on ending the war appear stalled. “Iran can’t get their act together. They don’t know how to sign a nonnuclear deal. They better get smart soon!” he posted on his Truth Social platform, alongside an AI-generated image of himself holding a weapon amid explosions with the caption “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY.”

2026 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

Pete Hegseth(Image: Getty)