Pete Hegseth heads to Capitol Hill to defend Trump's Iran war as 60-day congressional deadline looms
War Secretary Pete Hegseth is slated to defend the Trump administration’s war in Iran amid intensifying questions from lawmakers as he heads to Capitol Hill for the first time since...
By Fox News · Fox News
War Secretary Pete Hegseth is slated to defend the Trump administration’s war in Iran amid intensifying questions from lawmakers as he heads to Capitol Hill for the first time since the outbreak of the conflict. Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine will testify before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, during which the duo is expected to press for the need to fund the administration’s unprecedented $1.5 trillion defense request for the upcoming fiscal year. But the hearing comes just two days before a 60-day deadline that some Republicans say will force the administration to draw down its military campaign in the Middle East absent congressional approval. Several Senate Republicans, including Sens. John Curtis, R-Utah, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., have voiced opposition to extending the war past the two-month mark. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is drafting an Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) that would force the upper chamber to weigh in on the war. HEGSETH WAS 'INCREDIBLY TALENTED, BATTLE-PROVEN LEADER,' MILITARY EVALUATIONS SHOW It remains to be seen whether House Republicans will apply the same pressure on the administration to end the war. The War Powers Act permits a 30-day extension for the president to continue hostilities without Congress’ sign-off, but it is not clear whether President Donald Trump plans to adhere to that timeline or whether lawmakers will factor in the ceasefire with the looming deadline. Republicans have rejected myriad attempts from Democrats to curb Trump’s war powers in Iran, arguing such measures would unfairly restrain the president. Democrats are expected to grill Hegseth about what they claim is limited transparency from the administration about its strategy toward Iran. Lawmakers could also press the Pentagon secretary about diminishing weapons stockpiles as a result of the war and the conflict’s long-term costs. "What's his plan for the war?" Rep. A…