Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday, where Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia questioned him repeatedly about past statements on the war with Iran. Hegseth testified as the Trump administration seeks an additional $70 billion for the war effort, according to the hearing.
During the hearing, Hegseth said the war has cost $37.5 billion so far. President Donald Trump, who started the conflict at the end of February, has not signaled an end to the war, according to the report.
According to The Daily Beast, Ossoff used several of Hegseth’s earlier comments about the war against him during the exchange, asking the secretary directly whether those statements had been accurate.
Ossoff presses Hegseth on ‘combat ineffective’ claim
Ossoff noted that on day 14 of the conflict, nearly five months before the hearing, Hegseth had said Iran’s military had been “destroyed” and “made combat ineffective.” Ossoff then asked Hegseth directly, “Was that an accurate statement?”
In response, Hegseth said Iran no longer had a navy, saying it was “completely sunk.” He also said missiles were “buried underneath a lot of their underground facilities” and said Iran’s “defense industrial base has been almost completely destroyed.”
Hegseth then said, “So, as far as a military assessment of Iran’s capabilities, it didn’t mean by any stretch of the imagination absolute zero – ” before Ossoff cut him off. Ossoff repeated his question, asking again whether Hegseth’s day-14 statement had been accurate, “yes or no.” Hegseth did not give a direct yes-or-no answer and instead began discussing “Iran’s ability to challenge the United States of America.”
Ossoff told Hegseth that was not what he had asked and repeated the question a third time using Hegseth’s own words. Hegseth again did not answer directly, instead saying, “What the American military has done to the Iranian military – ” before Ossoff asked, “Will you answer the question?” Hegseth then called the outcome an “historic military defeat” for Iran, according to the exchange. Ossoff moved on without receiving a direct response, the report noted.
Ossoff then referenced comments Hegseth made three weeks after the “combat ineffective” statement, in which Hegseth reportedly called the military campaign, named Operation Epic Fury, “a historic and overwhelming victory.” Hegseth had also said Iran’s military had been made “combat ineffective for years to come” and that the U.S. had “achieved every single objective,” according to Ossoff’s recounting of the remarks.
Asked whether those statements had been accurate, Hegseth said, “It certainly was, on behalf of the men and women in uniform, a historic military victory over Iran.”
When Ossoff asked again whether Iran’s military had been rendered “combat ineffective for years to come,” Hegseth said Iran’s “160 naval vessels in their bluewater Navy” were gone, and claimed Iran’s air force was “completely combat ineffective” and that the country lacked a defense industrial base.
As Ossoff pressed him to answer directly, Hegseth raised his voice and said, “So describe for me a country that doesn’t have an air force, a navy or a defense industrial base, and I will describe for you a country that doesn’t have an effective military.”
Ossoff continued his questions as Hegseth reportedly spoke over him at points. Hegseth’s handling of the exchange comes amid separate reports that half of Republican staffers say he is hurting Trump’s foreign agenda.
Asked again whether Iran’s military had remained “combat ineffective” for four months, Hegseth said Iran’s capabilities had been “set back not just years but likely decades.” He then said, “It doesn’t mean it doesn’t have capabilities,” according to the exchange.
When Ossoff asked whether the administration had “achieved every single objective,” Hegseth said the main objective was preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, saying Iran’s “main sites were obliterated.” He added that if Iran does not give up its nuclear program “at the table, there are other ways we can take them away.”
Ossoff also raised earlier statements from Hegseth about destroying Iran’s missile threat, noting Hegseth had said on day three of the conflict that one objective was to “destroy the missile threat,” and on day five had said the goal was to “obliterate Iran’s missiles and drones.” Ossoff asked whether those objectives had been achieved.
Hegseth said, “No one ever stated that every single missile was gone,” and said “combat-ineffective means they’re not able to dig them out of their UGFs and shoot at us.” He added that Iran, which he described as “the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism,” still holds underground facilities with missiles. Hegseth’s credibility on military communications has also faced scrutiny after a Pentagon watchdog investigated his handling of a secret war chat.
Ossoff also asked whether Hegseth’s March 8 prediction of “Iranian surrender” remained accurate. Hegseth did not directly address the prediction and instead said, “Ultimately Iran will never have a nuclear weapon to threaten the United States of America,” calling that the continuing objective.
Other senators also questioned Hegseth during the hearing. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand criticized the administration’s funding request, saying, “The words you have used in the past don’t add up,” while raising concerns about spending on the war compared with domestic health care and food assistance, according to the hearing.
Sen. Jack Reed also questioned Hegseth about the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which he said has driven up prices. Hegseth said the administration had anticipated the possibility of the Strait closing, then referenced past incidents under the Biden administration.
Reed responded, “We are talking a war you started,” and said Hegseth’s comparison to the Biden administration was “a very, very obvious excuse of what I think is probably, as you describe it so often, gross negligence.”
The hearing was also interrupted by protesters, who were removed from the room by Capitol Police/
Published: Jul 22, 2026 08:15 am