Lawmakers press Hegseth on details on Iran war authorization, ceasefire and Pentagon funding

Both Republicans and Democrats on the House and Senate subcommittees that oversee defense spending pointedly questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about the Iran ceasefire, the cost of the war and the administration's decision to enter the conflict without Congress' approval. 

Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appeared in back-to-back hearings before the House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees as the Pentagon is seeking $1.5 trillion in the fiscal year 2027 budget proposal. That number is a starting point for negotiations with Congress over annual spending and would mark a 42% increase in defense spending from 2026 levels.

Hegseth testified last month before the House and Senate Armed Services Committees that the conflict has cost $25 billion so far, and acting Pentagon comptroller Jules Hurst said Tuesday that the price tag is now at $29 billion. U.S. officials familiar with internal assessments suggested in April that the Iran war's price tag could be closer to $50 billion.

In an opening statement, Hegseth said the $1.5 trillion request is "admittedly a historic budget," but he added that it is a "fiscally responsible budget." 

"The president's budget request reflects the urgency of the moment," Hegseth said. 

Democrats have already raised concerns about the Iran war and its authorization, as well as a few Republicans — some of whom are on the Senate Appropriations Committee. While several war powers resolutions have failed to advance, two Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky — have joined Democrats in favor of advancing the measure to limit Mr. Trump's war powers. And GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has said she intends to introduce a formal authorization for the use of military force in Iran. 

Murkowski pushed Hegseth about the Trump administration's refusal to seek Congress' approval for military force in Iran. "Our view is that he has all the authorities he needs under Article 2," Hegseth said, referring to the war powers resolution. 

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who called the military operation against Iran "spectacular," asked Caine if he was aware of CBS News reporting that Islamabad is allowing Iranian aircraft to park on Pakistan's fields. Caine said he had seen the report. 

When Graham asked if the activity would be "inconsistent with being a peace mediator," Caine said he "wouldn't want to comment on that, based on the ongoing negotiations and Pakistan's role."

Hegseth said he also wouldn't want to get into the middle of the negotiations, to which Graham replied: "Well I do."

"If they actually do have Iranian aircraft parked in Pakistan bases to protect Iranian military assets, that tells me we should be looking, maybe, for somebody else to mediate," Graham said. "No wonder this damn thing is going nowhere."  

President Trump said Monday that the ceasefire with Iran is "on life support" after he called the latest Iran peace proposal "totally unacceptable." Mr. Trump told CBS News that he aims to suspend the gas tax amid soaring gas prices. 

Democratic Rep. Pete Aguilar pushed Hegseth for more details on the ceasefire, asking "do we know that the cease fire is active or not active without any documentation?"

Hegseth responded "we know it's evident and the ceasefire is in effect." Aguilar pressed for more details on the documentation, asking if Americans should "just trust that the president knows that the ceasefire is active or not active?"

"As you know, for the most part, a ceasefire means the fire is ceasing," Hegseth said. "And we know that has occurred while negotiations occur. And there are lots of different discussions with our negotiating team. They're happening. I'm there when those discussions are occurring, different drafts, different perspectives. So it's a very dynamic situation where a negotiated settlement could be the outcome here, where Iran does not have nuclear capabilities."

Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro in her opening statement warned Hegseth and Caine "this administration has not presented Congress with any kind of clear or coherent strategy" in the Iran war.

Hegesth told the subcommittee "we have a plan for all of that," saying there was a plan to escalate "if necessary" as well as a plan to "shift assets." But he continued that he wouldn't give any more details about the next steps "in this setting."  

Hurst, who also appeared Tuesday, has said the Pentagon would be providing a supplemental for Iran war funding, but the White House has since said it does not plan to release one. 

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rep. Tom Cole pressed Hegseth on using the reconciliation process for funding, saying it "creates cliffs for this committee in the future" because "at some point, that funding disappears and we would have a massive increase in discretionary funding to sustain it."