A senior Democratic senator has accused US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth of exaggerating the success of the war in Iran and failing to provide Donald Trump with an accurate assessment of the conflict, during a tense Senate hearing on the Pentagon’s latest budget proposal.
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The criticism came from Jack Reed, the leading Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, as Hegseth appeared alongside Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to defend a proposed US military budget of $1.45tn.
Lawmaker challenges claims of victory
Opening the hearing, Reed said the defence secretary had painted an overly optimistic picture of the conflict, which has entered its eighth week and remains unresolved.
He told the committee that US families were already bearing the economic consequences of the war, particularly through rising fuel prices, despite limited public support for the military campaign.
“American families are bearing the cost of a war they wanted nothing to do with and have gained nothing from,” Reed said, adding that Hegseth had declared victory prematurely.
The senator also argued that the Iranian government remained firmly in power and retained enriched uranium stockpiles, meaning its nuclear programme was still intact. He warned that portraying the situation as a decisive triumph risked misleading the president and the public.
“Our military has performed heroically,” Reed said. “But military force without a sound strategy is a path to long-term defeat.”
Heated exchanges at budget hearing
The hearing marked the second day of congressional testimony from Hegseth and Caine regarding the Pentagon’s record defence spending request.
Proceedings were briefly interrupted when protesters shouted accusations of “war criminal” and “despicable” as Hegseth began his opening remarks. They were removed from the chamber before the hearing continued.
Reed also criticised what he described as the administration’s lack of a clear strategy and said the decision to launch military action had been taken without adequate consultation with Congress or the public.
He further condemned comments made by Hegseth about relaxing rules of engagement and showing “no mercy” toward Iranian forces, warning that such rhetoric could be counterproductive and potentially violate international law.
The senator additionally questioned the defence secretary’s management of the military, citing moves such as restructuring the Pentagon’s chaplain corps, cancelling flu vaccine requirements for service members and restricting attendance at certain universities.
Reed also criticised Hegseth for dismissing several senior commanders and blocking some promotions, arguing the decisions could undermine morale within the armed forces.
Democrats question public support
Hegseth rejected the accusations and defended the administration’s conduct of the war.
He repeated claims he had made during a House hearing a day earlier, saying critics in Congress were undermining a historic effort to confront Iran, which he described as a decades-long threat.
“The biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless naysayers and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans,” Hegseth said.
The defence secretary later clashed with other Democratic senators, including Kirsten Gillibrand and Richard Blumenthal, who challenged his assertion that the war had widespread support among Americans.
Gillibrand said the conflict lacked authorisation and argued that public backing for the campaign was weak.
Hegseth initially maintained that Americans supported the operation but later acknowledged that public opinion was more divided than he had suggested, attributing scepticism partly to criticism from Democrats and media coverage.
Blumenthal said that success in war historically depended on sustained domestic support.
“If what you’re seeing as success now is winning,” he said, “I would hate to see what losing looks like.”
The senator later attempted to ask Hegseth whether he agreed with comments by Trump suggesting Ukraine had been militarily defeated by Russia, but the defence secretary declined to answer directly.
Ongoing conflict and political fallout
The confrontation highlighted deep political divisions in Washington over the war with Iran. After two months of fighting, the conflict has reached a stalemate, while tensions in global energy markets have risen following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
As the administration seeks approval for its record defence budget, lawmakers remain sharply divided over both the strategy and the costs of the campaign.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 1 May 2026
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