Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rejected calls to resign Thursday and defended the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran as a "courageous and historic effort," days after Republicans lost control of the House and Senate in midterm elections that put his handling of the conflict under scrutiny.
In a video posted on social media, Hegseth said the campaign was necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He also asked Congress to approve at least $350 billion in additional defense spending, even as Democratic leaders urged President Donald Trump to end the war before the new Congress convenes on Jan. 3.
"Regardless of how people feel about the war," Hegseth said, "we need to continue, as President Trump did in his first term, to rebuild our military."
Hegseth has been one of the administration's most visible advocates for the campaign since the United States and Israel launched it in February. Trump has said he has "every intention" of keeping the defense secretary. An adviser told Reuters, however, that Hegseth could still be removed as administration officials debated who should take responsibility for the party's losses.
Questions about the advice Trump received extend beyond Hegseth. People familiar with that advice told The Washington Post that Hegseth, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, had each given Trump an overly optimistic assessment at different stages of the war. In those sources' view, the briefings gave too little weight to the likely costs and risks.
One challenge to Hegseth comes from within Trump's party. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, introduced eight articles of impeachment accusing the secretary of continuing the Iran campaign without congressional authorization and approving operations that violated the law. Hegseth called them "sham articles" and described Massie as a "disgruntled, defeated congressman."
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told CNN that Trump should act now to end what Jeffries called "this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran." His appeal put the immediate decision to halt the campaign with the president, while Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer pointed to an option available to lawmakers: their authority over federal spending.
"We are going to end the war," Schumer said at a Washington news conference. He said some Republicans already supported ending the conflict and argued that Congress could use its spending power to restrain a president who wages war without public consent.
Hegseth, meanwhile, made a broader case for his record at the Pentagon. He defended removing senior leaders and dismantling diversity programs, and argued that border enforcement and mass deportations belong among the military's duties. He described the additional defense funding he wants from Congress as a "generational investment" in rebuilding the armed forces.
