Secretary of War Pete Hegseth got into a shouting match with Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) during a Tuesday hearing on the Pentagon’s budget for the Iran war, with the Pentagon chief accusing him and his fellow Democrats of “Trump derangement syndrome,” while the senator called him a “failure.”
Hegseth testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee alongside Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to ask for more money to fund the military effort in the Middle East. During the hearing, Hegseth estimated that the war has cost $37.5 billion since it began in February, as congressional Republicans prepare a $95 billion funding bill.
The White House-backed proposal will include $10 billion for farm aid and $10 billion for voting law changes in addition to military spending, Fox 43 reported. To argue on behalf of farm aid, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins also joined Hegseth and Caine before the panel.
After getting through the majority of the questioning, Hegseth faced off against Peters, who brought up the fact that the Strait of Hormuz is still closed, while it was open before the war started:
“Prices were lower for everybody until the war, and [the strait] still remains closed,” the senator told Hegseth. “And of course, tragically, people, service members, our war fighters, who we care deeply about, are still dying. So what’s different, Mr. Secretary?”
Hegseth snapped back, saying, “I think your characterization of this incredible effort as a failure is reckless, and I think it’s irresponsible, and I think it smears the sacrifice of the troops that are out there making on behalf of the American people to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.”
“Shame on you and others who call this a quagmire and a failure, and then you want to turn around and say you support the warfighter,” he added. “Either you do, or you don’t.”
Peters then interjected with a question asking if Iran still had nuclear material.
Hegseth responded, saying, “I can get you a ticket out to CENTCOM [U.S. Central Command] and talk to what those Americans are doing, how committed they are to this effort, and how they want to ensure that Iran never threatens their families with a nuclear weapon.
“That’s the kind of intensity that our warfighters have about making sure that Iran isn’t capable of doing that,” the secretary stated.
Peters began to argue that he had already made his appreciation for American warfighters clear, but Hegseth claimed that he had heard him characterize them as “failures.”
“I will tell you how I used the word ‘failure,’ because I used the word ‘failure’ to their leaders,” Peters replied. “You, sir, are the failure, not the men and women who are on that front line, not the men and women who hold up their honor with distinction, but if there’s a lack of a winning strategy, they’re in harm’s way. Their leaders have failed them, and that’s what’s happening.”
The senator then began raising his voice as he appeared to become more heated at Hegseth’s point of view.
“You don’t have a strategy. You don’t have a long-term plan to actually win this war. Win the war,” Peters fumed. “The men and women are going to be able to do it, but they need to have leadership!”
“When will you show leadership?” he shouted. “When will you show leadership?”
Hegseth also raised his voice in his response, asking the senator, “Why don’t you show some leadership and stand up to your fellow Democrats who won’t fund the troops, who stand and play partisan politics while you don’t give us the money?”
“You want to stand up here and talk about the troops? You won’t show any political courage to actually fund our department because you have Trump derangement syndrome and can’t actually commit to anything meaningful,” the War chief argued. “So I put this on you, Senator.”
Peters responded, “You have over a trillion dollars. You’re asking for one and a half trillion dollars. It’s not a question of money. It’s a question of leadership and understanding what it takes to actually win .”
President Donald Trump called for a $1.5 trillion 2027 military budget in January, Breitbart News reported.
“Political cowardice of Democrats who won’t fund the troops,” Hegseth got in, just before Peters’ time ran out and the hearing concluded.
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.