Hegseth defends $87.6bn Pentagon supplemental funding request amid Iran war criticism

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen Dan Caine appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday to defend the Trump administration's $87.6 billion supplemental funding request. The hearing comes as lawmakers are furious that the US-Israel war on Iran is costing far more than the White House has acknowledged.

Of the total request, $67.1 billion is specifically earmarked for war operations, as the Pentagon says it is running low on cash to sustain the fight. This was the pair's first sustained public questioning since a brief ceasefire collapsed and the conflict resumed.

At least two US soldiers were killed in an Iranian attack on Friday, and another died in Iraq destroying an Iranian drone, bringing the American death toll since February to 17. Nearly 100 troops have been wounded, though most injuries were minor, officials confirmed.

Democratic Vice-Chair Patty Murray is expected to argue that the public wants a swift, strategic end to the war rather than tens of billions more to sustain it, according to a Democratic aide. Some Democrats, including Chris Coons of Delaware, plan to criticize Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, who previously told Congress the war cost about $30 billion – a figure widely believed to be a severe undercount.

Hegseth and Caine also face threats from within their own party. Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski have crossed the aisle to support war-powers resolutions aimed at reining in presidential authority over the conflict. Collins has previously expressed frustration that the administration's strategy seems to shift almost daily.

Separately, House representatives have accused the Pentagon of stonewalling on basic figures. Betty McCollum, the top Democrat on the House defense appropriations panel, said the department missed a deadline to detail war costs and has not disclosed how many precision munitions remain after the military burned through thousands of them in Iran.