Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth faced one of the most combative congressional hearings of his tenure on April 30, 2026, as the Senate Armed Services Committee examined President Trump’s historic $1.535 trillion fiscal year 2027 defense budget request — a nearly 50 percent increase over last year. The hearing quickly became a wide-ranging confrontation over the ongoing U.S. war with Iran (Operation Epic Fury), the firing of senior military officers, the status of Ukraine funding, insider trading allegations, and the limits of presidential war-making authority. Democrats delivered blistering opening critiques while Republicans largely championed the budget and the Iran campaign; General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, repeatedly threaded the needle with careful, nonpartisan answers under intense cross-examination. Assistance from Claude AI.
Participants
| Name | Role / Title | Party / State |
|---|---|---|
| Sen. Roger Wicker | Chair, Senate Armed Services Committee | R-Mississippi |
| Sen. Jack Reed | Ranking Member | D-Rhode Island |
| Sen. Deb Fischer | Committee Member (presided over portion) | R-Nebraska |
| Sen. Tom Cotton | Committee Member | R-Arkansas |
| Sen. Mike Rounds | Committee Member | R-South Dakota |
| Sen. Joni Ernst | Committee Member | R-Iowa |
| Sen. Dan Sullivan | Committee Member | R-Alaska |
| Sen. Kevin Cramer | Committee Member | R-North Dakota |
| Sen. Rick Scott | Committee Member | R-Florida |
| Sen. Tommy Tuberville | Committee Member | R-Alabama |
| Sen. Ted Budd | Committee Member | R-North Carolina |
| Sen. Eric Schmitt | Committee Member | R-Missouri |
| Sen. Tim Sheehy | Committee Member | R-Montana |
| Sen. Jim Banks | Committee Member | R-Indiana |
| Sen. Jeanne Shaheen | Committee Member | D-New Hampshire |
| Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand | Committee Member | D-New York |
| Sen. Richard Blumenthal | Committee Member | D-Connecticut |
| Sen. Mazie K. Hirono | Committee Member | D-Hawaii |
| Sen. Tim Kaine | Committee Member | D-Virginia |
| Sen. Angus King | Committee Member | I-Maine |
| Sen. Elizabeth Warren | Committee Member | D-Massachusetts |
| Sen. Gary Peters | Committee Member | D-Michigan |
| Sen. Tammy Duckworth | Committee Member | D-Illinois |
| Sen. Jacky Rosen | Committee Member | D-Nevada |
| Sen. Mark Kelly | Committee Member | D-Arizona |
| Sen. Elissa Slotkin | Committee Member | D-Michigan |
| Pete Hegseth | Secretary of Defense (Witness) | — |
| Gen. Dan Caine (USAF) | Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (Witness) | — |
| Jules W. Hurst III | Acting Comptroller & CFO, Department of Defense (Witness) | — |
Background: What Is This Hearing About?
Context box: Each year, the Secretary of Defense and top military leaders come before Congress to justify their budget request and answer questions about ongoing military operations. This hearing is the public portion — senators had already met with witnesses in a classified “SCIF” session earlier in the day. The “Future Years Defense Program” refers to the Pentagon’s five-year spending plan that extends beyond the single fiscal year budget.
The FY2027 budget request of $1.535 trillion represents a near-50 percent increase from the prior year’s roughly $1 trillion topline. About 75 percent would flow through the normal congressional appropriations process; the remaining roughly 25 percent is expected to be funded through budget reconciliation — a legislative shortcut that requires only a simple Senate majority and has never previously been used for defense spending at this scale.
The hearing was the first public congressional appearance by Secretary Hegseth in nearly a year, and it came 61 days into Operation Epic Fury — the U.S. military campaign against Iran that began after earlier operations (Midnight Hammer) aimed at Iran’s nuclear facilities prompted an Iranian escalation.
Opening Statements
Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi)
Wicker framed the hearing around what he called the most dangerous security environment since World War II, describing China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea as an “Axis of Aggressors” that must be confronted. He cited several recent operations: Operation Absolute Resolve (Venezuela), Operation Midnight Hammer (Iran nuclear sites), and Operation Epic Fury (the broader Iran campaign). He mourned the loss of 14 service members killed in Epic Fury while arguing the world is safer without a nuclear-armed Iran.
Wicker praised the $1.535 trillion budget as “historic” and “fiscally responsible,” arguing it would fund three U.S. competitive advantages: innovation and industrial capacity, transformational capabilities like drones and missile defense, and the quality of America’s all-volunteer force. He noted the prior year’s $1 trillion budget was achieved through a combination of reconciliation and bipartisan appropriations, and called for the Pentagon to accelerate spending and increase competition in the defense industrial base.
Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island)
Reed delivered a sharp, point-by-point indictment of Hegseth’s tenure. He noted this was Hegseth’s first public committee appearance in nearly a year and catalogued the military actions taken since: wars with Iran, an attack on Venezuela, an ongoing boat-strike campaign in the Caribbean and Pacific (Operation Southern Sphere), and airstrikes in Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, and Ecuador. He also cited the domestic deployment of thousands of troops to U.S. cities.
Reed disputed the administration’s characterization of Operation Epic Fury as a success, saying Iran’s regime remains in place, its nuclear program remains viable, it retains more than 40 percent of its drone arsenal and 60 percent of its ballistic missile capability, and the Strait of Hormuz — a critical global shipping lane — is now closed. He warned that Hegseth has been “telling the President what he wants to hear instead of what he needs to hear.”
Reed also criticized what he called a pattern of distractions: overhauling the Chaplain Corps, canceling flu vaccine requirements, repealing firearm restrictions on bases, bringing celebrity Kid Rock for an Apache helicopter joyride, and firing dozens of senior officers — 60 percent of whom, Reed said, are Black or female. He called the $25 billion cost of Epic Fury (confirmed by Comptroller Hurst) clarifying evidence that a supplemental appropriation of $100–200 billion is unnecessary.
Secretary Pete Hegseth
Hegseth defended the budget as a “warfighting budget” that corrects years of underinvestment under the Biden administration. He touted metrics including 250 private investment deals across 39 states worth more than $50 billion, 280 new or expanded manufacturing facilities, more than 18 million square feet of new manufacturing space, and 70,000 new jobs — all private-sector investment, he stressed, not taxpayer dollars.
He highlighted a 7 percent pay raise for junior enlisted personnel and a commitment to eliminate all “poor or failing barracks” as quality-of-life measures. He characterized critics of Epic Fury as “reckless naysayers and defeatists from the cheap seats” undermining a historic effort, and predicted Iran would never obtain a nuclear weapon as a result of the campaign.
A protester interrupted Hegseth’s statement, shouting that the war is “criminal” and that “the American people do not want to go to this war.” Wicker had the protester removed and warned that further interruptions would be treated similarly.
General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
General Caine offered a measured opening statement focused on the professionalism of the 2.8 million-member Joint Force. He invoked General George C. Marshall as his model: committed to civilian control, delivering honest assessments whether welcome or not, and executing orders with dedication once a decision is made. He mourned the 39 members of the Joint Force who died during his tenure as Chairman, specifically highlighting the 14 killed in Operation Epic Fury.
He described an “AI-first” direction for the force and emphasized the need for timely, predictable investment from Congress to maintain military superiority.
Topic-by-Topic Breakdown
1. The $1.535 Trillion Budget: What’s in It
Wicker opened Q&A by pressing Hegseth on spending rates. Of the $154 billion from last year’s reconciliation bill, Hegseth said approximately $26 billion has been put on contract, with more to follow. He acknowledged spending is “a little bit behind” but attributed delays partly to this being a new funding vehicle requiring careful implementation.
Hegseth committed to keeping the committee “frequently informed” of efforts to get the money out the door.
Key budget line items Hegseth cited:
- $65 billion for shipbuilding
- $120 billion for the defense industrial base
- $331 billion for munitions (including hypersonics, long-range strike)
- $71 billion for the nuclear triad and command, control, and communications
- $54 billion for drone dominance (UAS and counter-UAS)
- $17 billion for the Golden Dome missile defense system
- $44 billion for quality of life (troops housing, pay)
- $6 billion for the B-21 Raider stealth bomber
- $31.8 billion to expand critical missile stockpile production capacity (with Hegseth suggesting the real munitions number is closer to $330 billion when all long-range munitions are counted)
Senator King pressed Hegseth on why roughly 25 percent of the budget is routed through reconciliation rather than the regular appropriations process, calling it a “slush fund” that bypasses normal congressional oversight. Hegseth said the goal is simply reaching the $1.5 trillion topline through whatever legislative vehicles are available.
Senator Kelly challenged the round number itself, suggesting it was “pulled out of thin air” rather than derived from a bottom-up requirements analysis. Hegseth pushed back, saying the figure emerged from a “highly rigorous process” involving COCOM commanders, the services, the comptroller, and the Deputy Secretary.
Context box: Budget reconciliation is a Senate procedural tool that allows certain legislation — primarily related to taxes and spending — to pass with 51 votes rather than the 60 normally needed to overcome a filibuster. It has been used for major tax bills and portions of COVID relief, but using it for defense spending at this scale is unprecedented and controversial because it effectively bypasses the bipartisan oversight of the Senate Armed Services and Appropriations committees.
2. Operation Epic Fury: The Iran War Debate
This was the dominant subject of the hearing. Hegseth and Democratic senators clashed repeatedly over whether the campaign has been a success, what its objectives are, and whether the human and financial costs are justified.
Reed’s core challenge: Reed cited unclassified assessments showing Iran retains more than 40 percent of its drone arsenal and 60 percent of its pre-war ballistic missile capability after more than 13,000 strikes. He noted that regime change — another stated objective — has not been achieved, and that Iran’s nuclear program remains viable. He said Hegseth declared “overwhelming victory” on April 8 while the facts tell a different story, and accused him of telling the President “what he wants to hear instead of what he needs to hear.”
Hegseth’s response: Hegseth declined to discuss specific metrics, saying they are classified, but insisted the military objectives have been “stunningly effective,” particularly in destroying Iran’s defense industrial base’s capacity to reconstitute. He argued Iran was pursuing a “North Korea strategy” — building a conventional missile shield so powerful no country would challenge them while concealing nuclear development — and that the campaign has denied them that shield. He called critics “defeatists.”
Sen. Gillibrand confronted Hegseth directly, saying three out of five Americans oppose the war, it is unauthorized, and the economic pain — higher gas prices, grocery costs — is real and daily. She raised reports of 22 schools struck and the deaths of hundreds of Iranian schoolgirls in a missile strike. She pressed: “Why do you continue to prosecute a war the American people aren’t behind?”
Hegseth replied that when he talks to troops, they are “grateful for a President who has the courage to take on this threat after 47 years.” He challenged Gillibrand: “Do you not believe them when they say death to America?”
Gillibrand said adversaries “use rhetoric all the time” and that she sees no evidence the U.S. is safer. The exchange grew heated, with both talking over each other. Hegseth compared the two-month-old Iran campaign favorably to the years-long Iraq and Afghanistan wars, calling it “a defined mission set.”
Sen. Blumenthal called the war “a stalemate” and asked Hegseth to comment on President Trump’s claim that Ukraine has been “militarily defeated.” Rather than answer, Hegseth pivoted to Iran, calling critics “defeatist Democrats.” Blumenthal said the $25 billion cost estimate is probably “less than a quarter” of the true total, and pressed for a fuller accounting.
Sen. Peters framed his critique through military strategy, invoking Carl von Clausewitz’s principle that war is the continuation of politics by other means. He asked Hegseth to identify Iran’s “center of gravity” — the strategic hub that, if neutralized, would end the war. Hegseth said it is Iran’s “pursuit of a nuclear weapon and the radical ideology they have professed since the beginning of their revolution.” General Caine diplomatically declined to identify a center of gravity, saying it is properly a political determination. Peters argued the actual center of gravity is control of the Strait of Hormuz and urged faster action to open it.
Sen. Kelly pressed on munitions expenditures, noting the U.S. has used enormous quantities of Patriots, THAAD rounds, Tomahawks, and JASSMs-ER. He asked how many years it will take to replenish. Hegseth said “months and years” depending on the system. Kelly replied bluntly: “So we’ve fired years’ worth of munitions.”
Hegseth confirmed the U.S. has a blockade in place that Iran’s conventional navy cannot contest, asserting “we control the straits” — though Democratic senators disputed this, noting the closure of the Strait to commercial shipping continues.
Human cost acknowledged by both sides: 14 service members killed in Operation Epic Fury. More than 400 wounded. General Caine noted 39 Joint Force members have died during his tenure across all operations. Sen. Ernst thanked Hegseth personally for traveling to Dover, Delaware, to receive the fallen, noting Iowa alone lost 8 service members — two from the National Guard and six from the 103rd Sustainment Command Expeditionary.
3. Operation Southern Sphere: The Drug Trafficking Boat Strikes
Sen. Reed asked for a “fulsome update” on this ongoing campaign against suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, which has resulted in nearly 200 fatalities. He said the administration has not explained the long-term objectives or provided evidence that drug flows into the U.S. have been reduced.
Sen. Kaine pressed General Caine on the legal basis for the operation: “What legal justification could there possibly be that would allow the U.S. military to strike boats in international waters and kill the occupants of those boats without a showing of evidence that there’s narcotics on those boats?”
General Caine said he does not have a copy of the classified execution order with him, but said the orders “clearly articulate, based on a variety of criteria, what constitutes a valid military and legally valid target in that theater.”
Kaine disclosed that he has read the classified legal opinion, the targeting criteria, and the “secret list of DTOs” (Designated Terrorist Organizations) the administration has declared war against — but cannot discuss them because they are classified. He said: “I think there’s a profound mismatch between what is occurring and the underlying assumptions in the legal opinion.” He urged colleagues to visit the SCIF and review the material themselves.
Hegseth defended the operation by noting the targets are designated terrorist organizations — “the Al-Qaeda of our hemisphere” — and that “there is no willy-nilly targeting of drug boats.”
4. The War Powers Resolution and the 60-Day Deadline
Sen. Kaine raised the most legally pointed question of the hearing: The War Powers Resolution requires that a war begun without congressional authorization be concluded within 60 days — a deadline that he said falls “maybe tomorrow” from the date of the hearing.
The President can extend that window by an additional 30 days only by certifying to Congress in writing that military necessity requires keeping forces in place while arranging their withdrawal. Kaine asked whether the President intends to seek congressional authorization or send the required certification.
Hegseth said his understanding is that the ongoing ceasefire “pauses or stops” the 60-day clock. Kaine said he does not believe the statute supports that interpretation and called the issue “a really important legal question for the administration.”
Context box: The War Powers Resolution of 1973 was passed specifically to prevent presidents from fighting extended undeclared wars. It requires a president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing forces to hostilities and limits unauthorized combat to 60 days plus a 30-day withdrawal period. Every president since Nixon has disputed the law’s constitutionality, and it has never been definitively tested in the courts.
5. Military Leadership Firings: The General Officer Purge
Reed opened the Q&A portion by asking why Hegseth fired Army Chief of Staff General Randy George, one of the most decorated officers of his generation whose nomination the committee had reviewed and approved.
Hegseth declined to discuss the specific reasons “out of respect” to fired officers, saying only that “we all serve at the pleasure of the President” and that he came into the department committed to “changing the culture” — which is “ultimately challenging to do with the same people who were a part of or in that department.”
Reed pressed further: Of the two dozen officers Hegseth fired “for reasons unrelated to performance,” he said, 60 percent are Black or female. He asked whether the President directed Hegseth to single out female and Black officers.
Hegseth denied it categorically, saying “the only metric is merit” and accusing the previous administration of “social engineering” based on race and gender. Reed and Hegseth traded sharp words about whether Hegseth’s emphasis on Christianity at a National Religious Broadcasters event was consistent with religious neutrality; Hegseth said he is “not ashamed” of his faith and accused Reed of trying to “smear” his character.
Sen. Ernst offered the most extended defense of the fired generals, delivering an on-the-record tribute to General George’s record: he pulled the Army out of its worst recruiting crisis since Vietnam, exceeded FY2024 recruiting goals with 61,000 new soldiers, cut 5 percent of general officer positions, reduced Army headquarters by 1,000 personnel, and co-authored the Army Transformation Initiative aligned with Hegseth’s own stated priorities. Ernst said she felt the firings violated an understanding she believed she had reached with Hegseth in prior conversations. Her tribute was entered into the congressional record alongside similar remarks for General James Mingus.
6. Ukraine Funding: The $400 Million Appropriation
Sen. Shaheen documented a specific and troubling sequence: Congress enacted $400 million in Ukraine security assistance in January 2026. As of the hearing date, the committee had received only a notification confirming the money would go to Ukraine — with no equipment specifics, no delivery timelines, and no spend plan. She said Comptroller Hurst had previously told the House he needed legal review before spending the funds as intended.
Hegseth said Under Secretary Elbridge Colby had been developing the spend plan in consultation with European Commander General Grynkewich.
General Caine said he did not believe he had received a spend plan and had not asked EUCOM for concurrence — despite a notification suggesting otherwise — and committed to finding out and reporting back by end of day.
Shaheen also raised the administration’s use of the PURL (Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List) mechanism — through which the U.S. sells weapons to European partners, who then decide whether to send them to Ukraine — suggesting this routes around congressional intent that the $400 million go directly to Ukraine.
Hegseth defended PURL as consistent with the President’s burden-sharing philosophy: European countries pay for any weapons supplied and use them as they see fit. Shaheen replied that this is “not congressional intent.”
Sen. King confirmed with Comptroller Hurst that the FY2027 budget contains zero funding for Ukraine (no USAI — Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative — funding). He displayed a chart showing U.S. support for Ukraine has dropped to near zero while European contributions now represent 99 percent of external support in 2026. Hegseth called the chart “beautiful” and said it shows exactly what the President wants — European countries shouldering the burden.
King said he believes the U.S. has a moral and strategic obligation to support Ukraine and that Russia is the “major winner” of the Iran war, having gained an estimated $40–80 billion in additional oil revenues and sanctions relief as a result of the conflict.
7. Golden Dome Missile Defense: $17 Billion Request
Context box: “Golden Dome for America” is the Trump administration’s proposed nationwide missile defense system, modeled loosely on Israel’s Iron Dome and David’s Sling air defense systems. Unlike those systems, which defend relatively small territories against shorter-range rockets, Golden Dome would be designed to defend the entire continental United States — including against ballistic missiles and potentially space-based threats. Cost estimates for the full system range from $500 billion to $1 trillion.
Sen. Fischer asked about the FY2027 request of $17 billion for Golden Dome and progress made under the new program management structure. General Guetlein has completed an initial architecture blueprint. General White pulled forward the next milestone for the Sentinel ICBM program by six months.
Hegseth credited the new “direct reporting program manager” model — in which a single senior general officer holds acquisition, technical, and contracting authority all at once — with cutting through bureaucratic red tape. “Success or failure lands with them, and they know it,” he said.
General Caine said Golden Dome funding is “essential” to a layered homeland defense and warned that delays would ripple through the defense industrial base’s ability to ramp up.
Senator Kelly raised skepticism about space-based interceptors, noting that the physics of missile interception favor the offense and that he — a former astronaut — knows firsthand how hard the problem is. He said some projected Golden Dome costs run to $500 billion to $1 trillion.
8. B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber: How Many Do We Need?
Sen. Rounds noted that the Air Force’s current program of record calls for purchasing 100 B-21 Raiders, but that both STRATCOM Commander Admiral Correll and INDOPACOM Commander Admiral Paparo have publicly called for more — with Paparo testifying the previous week that he favors buying 200.
Hegseth said the FY2027 budget includes $6 billion for the B-21, which is ahead of schedule, and acknowledged the program will likely require more than 100 aircraft. He said the total B-21 investment could exceed $100 billion over time. General Caine said he supports assessing the requirement through existing joint review processes, wants to ensure the Air Force is “buying ahead of the technology development curve,” but would not commit to a specific number without reviewing current operational plans.
9. Drone Dominance and the Defense Industrial Base
The FY2027 budget includes $54 billion for drone-related capabilities — UAS (unmanned aerial systems), counter-UAS, and scaling both sophisticated exquisite drones and cheaper attritable models that can be produced in large quantities.
Hegseth said the defense industrial base has been transformed “from a bureaucratic model to a business model,” citing the $50 billion in private-sector investments stimulated by the Pentagon’s multi-year procurement agreements — investments in new plants, assembly lines, and factories using private money rather than taxpayer dollars.
He highlighted the transition from JIATF-401 to an autonomous warfare group and said the department is considering establishing a sub-unified command for drone operations.
10. Nuclear Triad and Deterrence: $71 Billion
Sen. Fischer and Hegseth discussed the $71 billion investment in the nuclear triad (land-based ICBMs, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and nuclear-capable bombers) and associated nuclear command, control, and communications (NC3) systems. Both agreed that deterring multiple nuclear adversaries — China, Russia, and a near-nuclear Iran — requires a credible, modernized arsenal.
Hegseth said “nothing else matters if we don’t get this right” and argued the Iran campaign itself was justified in part because a nuclear-armed Iran would have constrained American options globally, as North Korea’s arsenal constrains options in Asia.
Fischer and Caine both agreed that NC3 systems should receive the same priority as the delivery vehicles themselves.
11. Special Operations Command: Calls for More Funding
Sen. Sheehy argued that SOCOM (Special Operations Command) has carried a disproportionate burden across multiple operations while its budget has been essentially flat for 15 years adjusted for inflation. He cited the rescue of an F-15 crewman following the Venezuela (Maduro) operation as an example of the “impossible” being achieved.
Hegseth agreed that SOCOM should receive more resources and said he wrote a note during the hearing to Comptroller Hurst suggesting SOCOM be included in any supplemental appropriations request. He said “who’s been shouldering a huge part of the burden? Special Operations Command.”
Sheehy added that the era of counterterrorism-style operations is giving way to specialized commando roles — undersea, Arctic, airborne — requiring platform-specific technologies like submersibles that take years to develop and procure, requiring a different approach to SOCOM budgeting.
12. AI in Warfare: Human-in-the-Loop Debate
Sen. Gillibrand raised concerns about AI making final targeting determinations, including potentially in scenarios involving nuclear weapons. Sen. Rounds asked Hegseth directly whether there is always a human in the loop on targeting decisions.
Hegseth said yes: “There is a human in the loop on decisions that are made. And the suggestion otherwise is to suggest that somehow AI is running targeting.” He dismissed concerns about autonomous targeting as “a classic Anthropic talking point.”
Sen. Rosen later returned to the issue more specifically, pressing Hegseth to reaffirm this commitment in the context of DOD Directive 3000.09, which requires autonomous and semi-autonomous weapon systems to be designed to allow commanders to exercise “appropriate levels of human judgment over use of force.” Hegseth confirmed: “AI is not making lethal decisions.”
Rosen also raised a controversy involving Anthropic (the AI company, unrelated to this publication): she noted that in February, Hegseth publicly designated Anthropic as a “supply chain risk,” but that the White House was simultaneously helping agencies access Anthropic technology. Hegseth said Anthropic “would not agree to our terms of service” — comparing it to “Boeing giving us airplanes and telling us who we can shoot at” — and added that Anthropic “is run by an ideological lunatic who shouldn’t have sole decision-making over what we do.” He did not address the apparent inconsistency between the designation and the White House’s reported workaround.
Sen. Banks focused the AI discussion on competition with China, noting that China is integrating AI across command and control, intelligence, and kinetic capabilities. General Caine said the U.S. is “in many cases out in front of them” and praised the work of digital and AI officers across the COCOMs.
13. Weapons Stockpile Depletion and Replenishment
Sen. Kelly pressed hard on the cost and timeline of replacing munitions expended in Epic Fury. He cited Hegseth’s own public statements boasting about striking more than 1,000 targets in the first 24 hours of the campaign and more than 13,000 total targets by April 8.
Open-source reporting, he said, indicates the military has used an “outrageous number” of Patriot missiles, THAAD rounds, JASSM-ERs, and Tomahawks. These are expensive, long-lead systems that cannot be manufactured quickly.
Hegseth initially said he was looking at $53 billion for munitions acceleration but then revised upward: $238 billion for long-range fires, plus $40 billion for hypersonics — “closer to $330 billion in munitions” when fully accounted.
On replenishment timelines, Hegseth said “months and years, fast” — then, under Kelly’s pressing, acknowledged it would be “two to three, four times” current inventory levels that need to be built, and that timelines depend on the specific system. Kelly’s summary: “We’ve fired years’ worth of munitions.”
Sen. Cotton offered the Republican framing: Epic Fury exposed a pre-existing, decades-old problem of “brittleness and fragility” in the defense industrial base, not a new problem created by the war. Hegseth agreed, adding that much of the pre-existing inventory had already been depleted by weapons sent to Ukraine under the Biden administration.
14. Women in Combat Roles: Review Ordered
Sen. Hirono confronted Hegseth about having ordered a review of the effectiveness of women in combat roles. She noted he had said before his confirmation hearing that women shouldn’t serve in combat units, then reversed course at the hearing itself, but has now ordered a study that she fears is groundwork for reversing that policy.
She asked: will the study be made public?
Hegseth said the study is intended to ensure “real science” — not “social engineering like the previous administration” — is applied to the question. Under pressure from both Hirono and Chairman Wicker, Hegseth provided what Wicker interpreted as an assurance that the study will be made public.
General Caine was asked whether the presence of women in combat arms units lowers standards or readiness if they meet physical standards. He repeatedly deferred to civilian leadership on personnel policy but noted that “one of our bomb squadrons” in Operation Epic Fury is led by an “extraordinary female leader who’s doing great work.” When Hirono pressed whether he has personally seen any instance where the standard resulted in degradation in combat effectiveness, Caine again deferred to civilian leadership, but said: “Women continue to perform well across a range of MOSs and jobs and AFSCs.”
15. DEI Elimination: Hegseth’s Defense
Sen. Schmitt asked Hegseth to describe “the worst example” of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) he encountered and how he addressed it.
Hegseth’s reply was lengthy and pointed. He said the previous department was “obsessed with gender, ideology, and race” and that generals would say with a “serious look on their face” that “our diversity is our strength” — which Hegseth called “the single dumbest phrase in military history.” He said once that “debris” was cleared away — “Marxist ideologies, social engineering, political correctness, quotas based on gender and diversity” — the best performers rise regardless of background, driven purely by merit. He attributed historic recruiting numbers and morale partly to this cultural shift.
16. The “No Quarter” Statement
Sen. Kelly — a former Navy combat pilot and astronaut — raised Hegseth’s March 13 statement: “We will keep pushing, keep advancing. No quarter, no mercy for our enemies.”
Kelly noted that “no quarter” has a specific legal definition in the U.S. military’s own Law of War Manual: it means that legitimate offers of surrender will be refused or that detainees will be executed — a war crime.
Hegseth did not clarify or walk back the statement. He said: “We have untied the hands of our warfighters. We fight to win and we follow the law.”
Kelly replied: “So you’re not clarifying, so you stand by that statement. So you’re the Secretary of Defense. The things you say matter. And your response here, right now, makes it clear to the American people exactly why you are not right for this job.”
Hegseth: “It makes it clear to our enemies, Senator.”
17. Insider Trading Allegations
Sen. Warren raised what she called a pattern of suspiciously timed trades in oil futures coinciding with Trump administration announcements about the Iran war. She cited three specific dates: March 23 (traders placed $500 million in oil bets 14 minutes before Trump posted about “very good conversations on ending the war”), April 7, and April 21 — each time, a surge in oil trading immediately before a Trump post that moved oil prices.
She noted one U.S. soldier has been charged for betting on the Maduro capture, but that no one has been charged in connection with Middle East war trades.
Hegseth said his department’s handling of information has been “completely above board” and that what happens in betting markets “is not something we’re involved in.” Warren said she took that as confirmation that no steps have been taken to investigate insider trading.
Warren also raised a Financial Times report that Hegseth’s broker attempted to buy hundreds of shares in a BlackRock defense fund just before the Iran war began. Hegseth called that story “completely false” and “made up out of whole cloth.” He denied ever directing investments in defense stocks and said his broker knows he must obtain personal sign-off before making such investments.
Warren entered Hegseth’s ethics agreement into the congressional record.
18. Would Hegseth Deploy Troops to Seize Election Materials?
Sen. Slotkin posed one of the sharpest questions of the hearing: She noted that President Trump has stated he regrets not signing a 2020 executive order directing the Secretary of Defense to seize ballots and voting machines, and asked whether Hegseth would comply if given such an order in advance of the 2026 elections.
Hegseth called it a “gotcha hypothetical.”
Slotkin rejected that framing, noting the executive order was real and that Trump has publicly said he wishes it had been implemented. She pushed Slotkin back to a direct yes or no: “Tell the American people — will you deploy the uniformed military to our polls?”
Hegseth replied: “I’ve never been ordered to do anything illegal, and I won’t.”
Wicker thanked him for the answer.
19. Ukraine: Has It Been “Militarily Defeated”?
Blumenthal asked both Hegseth and General Caine to respond to President Trump’s recent assertion that Ukraine has been “militarily defeated.”
Hegseth pivoted to Iran.
General Caine said he had not seen the President’s quote but offered a carefully worded non-answer, citing the importance of maintaining trust with the Commander-in-Chief and noting that presidents “make a wide range of comments and considerations.”
Blumenthal said he has made nine trips to Ukraine and that, based on conversations with President Zelenskyy, U.S. military personnel on the ground, and intelligence community contacts, “Ukraine arguably is winning.” He called the “Russia is winning” narrative a false one pushed by Putin. General Caine agreed that China is watching closely and drawing lessons — and that U.S. weakness on Ukraine could undermine deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.
20. Pentagon Audit: Target of FY2028
Sen. Ernst pressed Hegseth on the Pentagon’s long-standing failure to pass a financial audit — the Defense Department is the only major federal agency that has never passed a clean audit in its history.
Hegseth said a clean audit by FY2028 is the stated goal. A Joint Task Force audit has been established, and the department’s new Inspector General has made it a priority. Ernst said she is pushing the My Receipts Act in this year’s NDAA to improve financial traceability and accountability.
21. Civilian Workforce Pay: No Raises in $1.5 Trillion Budget
Sen. Kaine confirmed with Comptroller Hurst that the $1.535 trillion budget includes a guaranteed pay raise for active duty military and Guard/Reserve personnel but no guaranteed pay increase for the 800,000 civilians who support the DoD workforce. Hurst said 4.2 percent of civilian salaries is set aside for bonuses to recognize high performers, but there is no across-the-board raise.
Reed had called this “an insult” in his opening statement, noting that after a year of DOGE-related layoffs and a hiring freeze, a zero-raise environment with inflation represents a real pay cut.
22. Hegseth’s “Pharisees” Comment
Sen. Rosen closed her time by asking Hegseth to address his repeated use of the word “Pharisees” to describe journalists and critics — a term she said is “historically weaponized” against Jewish communities and carries connotations of hypocrisy and moral corruption.
Hegseth said he stands by the term as “a pretty accurate” description for those who “don’t see the plank in their own eye and always want to see what’s wrong with an operation.”
Rosen said: “You stand by calling people Pharisees. Sir, I cannot stand for that. That is wrong. It is not respectful to people. And I expect anyone who is in leadership in our country to be respectful and use respectful terms and not be an anti-Semite.”
23. Notable Exchange: Gen. Caine on Honesty to the President
Sen. Cotton closed his round with a pointed question: Given reports of leaks from “deep staters” and accusations that Hegseth and Caine have lied to the President about Iran, have either of them done so?
Hegseth: “No, only tell the truth to the President.”
Caine: “Never.”
Cotton called it the answer he expected but said he wanted it on the record.
24. Alaska LNG and Energy Security
Sen. Sullivan pressed for Hegseth’s commitment to use the Office of Strategic Capital — a Pentagon lending tool that can provide 10x leverage to new defense industrial base entrants — to support the Alaska LNG project, which Sullivan described as a strategic counter to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative that could fuel both U.S. military operations and allied nations.
Hegseth committed: “Yes. Very aware of that project.” He said OSC is “a great place to look at partnering.”
25. Protester Interruption
During Hegseth’s opening statement, a protester disrupted the hearing, calling him “criminal” and saying “the American people do not want to go to this war.” Chairman Wicker had the protester removed, acknowledged First Amendment rights, and warned that further disruptions would be handled similarly.
MLA Citation
“Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing to Examine the Department of Defense Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2027 and the Future Years Defense Program.” Political Transcript Wire, VIQ Solutions Inc., 30 Apr. 2026. ProQuest, www.proquest.com/usnews/wire-feeds/senate-armed-services-committee-hearing-examine/docview/3335929806/sem-2?accountid=46614.