Pete Hegseth Says Trump Deserves Praise for Starting Iran War During Senate Hearing
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended President Donald Trump’s decision to begin the war in Iran during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Tuesday, arguing that Trump should be praised rather than criticized for the military campaign.
Pete Hegseth defended Donald Trump’s Iran war, saying the president deserves praise as senators and protesters challenged the policy.
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Trump has faced intense criticism over the past five months as the devastating and seemingly endless war in Iran has continued. Throughout the controversy, however, Hegseth has remained firmly supportive of the president's approach.
Speaking before senators, Hegseth argued that Trump had demonstrated courage by taking action against what he described as the threat posed by Iranian Islamists obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“President Trump deserves the kind of praise he should get for undertaking this effort,” Hegseth told the Senate Appropriations Committee in a hearing on Tuesday. “Having the courage to ensure that crazy Islamists can’t have a nuclear weapon to hold us at issue.”
The remarks immediately drew skepticism from the Senate. Rhode Island Democrat Jack Reed questioned whether Trump should really be praised for beginning a war without authorization and for creating consequences for the global economy.
“Excuse me, so he should be praised for starting a war without authority?” Rhode Island Democrat Jack Reed interjected. “For creating a situation in which the world economy is suffering tremendously?”
Hegseth's testimony was also repeatedly interrupted by protesters inside the hearing. One protester, holding a banner that read “NO WAR ON IRAN,” shouted, “Your hands are bloody with 17 Americans,” before law enforcement removed the individual from the room.
Moments later, another protester shouted, “Stop bombing our children in Iran and Palestine, this is illegal.” Several additional interruptions followed during Hegseth's remarks.
The defense secretary appeared before the Appropriations Committee as he sought continued taxpayer funding for the Department of Defense to carry out Trump's policies, including the repeated bombing of Iran.
“Not funding this department at $1.5 trillion, I believe, is the greatest threat our nation faces,” Hegseth said.
However, when senators pressed Hegseth for specific explanations about how the requested money would be spent, he provided what the article describes as vague references to reversing Biden's “woke” military policy.
Hegseth also praised the current leadership of the U.S. military, claiming the armed forces are “no longer run by bureaucrats.” Instead, he said, the department is “instead led by combat tested veterans and world class business leaders who are running the department like a business.”
The article challenges that characterization, arguing that if the Pentagon is being operated like a business, it is not a profitable one. It describes the defense system as a taxpayer-supported source of profit for defense contractors and Silicon Valley, while taxpayers continue to be asked to support increasingly large defense budgets.
According to the article, private corporations benefit financially from American defense systems while taxpayers face inadequate health care, education, and social services, alongside ongoing requests for more funding and limited accountability.
Beyond the financial debate surrounding the war, the article also highlights its human cost. Iranian civilians have been killed for months, while U.S. servicemembers have also lost their lives during Trump's war.
In recent days, at least three additional servicemembers were killed in Iranian strikes. The New York Times also reported that the Pentagon has repeatedly withheld information about U.S. casualties from the public throughout the war.
Thus far, at least 17 servicemembers have been killed as a result of the war.
