US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to face tough questions from senators on Tuesday over the war with Iran as Republicans seek to advance a $95 billion budget package to fund military operations, along with aid for farmers and voting law changes backed by the White House.
Hegseth, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins are scheduled to testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee, days after the military announced that three more American service members had died in the conflict. The latest fatalities bring the US death toll to 17, while more than 100 troops have been injured since early July.
Sen. Patty Murray, the committee's top Democrat, is expected to warn that the conflict with Iran "could be another forever war."
According to her prepared remarks, Murray will say President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised that a deal is close and the war will end soon, yet is now seeking an additional $70 billion for the conflict.
Military funding makes up the largest share of the Republican budget proposal, which also includes $10 billion in assistance for farmers affected by Trump's tariffs and another $10 billion for voting law changes, including likely new voter identification requirements. None of the spending is offset by reductions elsewhere.
An AP-NORC poll found that most Americans continue to disapprove of Trump's handling of the Iran conflict. Meanwhile, fuel prices have risen as Iran seeks to control oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, US munitions are running low amid continued missile strikes, and Trump has moved away from his earlier campaign pledge to avoid prolonged military conflicts.
Despite growing concerns, Trump has shown no indication of changing course, while most Republicans have continued to support his strategy without using Congress' budgetary or war powers to limit the conflict.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said the administration was working to bring the conflict to an end but acknowledged there were still many questions about how that would happen.
Hegseth is also expected to face scrutiny over his leadership of the Pentagon.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer accused the defense secretary of focusing on promoting testosterone screenings for troops instead of publicly disclosing the latest casualty figures from the Iran war.
Democratic lawmakers have also demanded the release of a Pentagon report into a deadly attack on an Iranian primary school at the start of the conflict and have threatened to withhold Hegseth's travel budget if the report is not made public.
The Senate is also expected to consider another war powers resolution this week after voting several times to try to limit the conflict. Although the House has passed a measure restricting Trump's authority to wage war, no such resolution has yet cleared both chambers.
Meanwhile, Republicans are moving the budget proposal through the reconciliation process, allowing it to pass with a simple majority despite Democratic opposition.
The House is expected to vote on the proposal this week. However, some Republicans, including Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio, have criticised the plan, arguing that it would increase the federal deficit because the new spending is not matched by spending cuts. Several other conservative Republicans have voiced similar concerns, while GOP senators are waiting to see whether the House can advance the measure.