Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Democratic Senator Chris Coons exchanged sharp criticism during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Tuesday (12 May) as lawmakers debated the United States’ strategy in the conflict with Iran.
Coons warned that recent military gains could still lead to “a strategic loss”, arguing Iran retained the ability to disrupt global energy markets and commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Hegseth dismissed the criticism, saying: “We have the ability to defeat a 47-year threat of a pursuit of a nuclear weapon. We have more leverage than we’ve ever had.”
He also accused Coons of asking “disingenuous questions” while defending what he described as “incredible battlefield successes”.
Coons responded that he was “not your enemy” and shared the administration’s objective of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. However, he questioned how commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could be fully restored while Iran maintained influence over the waterway and regional energy infrastructure.
The senator also linked the issue to rising fuel prices in the United States, arguing that “the average American is seeing this at the gas pump every single day”.
The exchange came as Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified before Congress on the Pentagon’s proposed $1.5 trillion FY27 defence budget, which would mark a significant increase in US military spending if approved.
ℹ️ US Department of War, CBS News
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