The Iran war has not yet ended, and Hegseth is being questioned over defense spending issues.

Deep Tide TechFlow News, May 12 — According to foreign media reports, a U.S. lawmaker responsible for overseeing Pentagon spending on Tuesday questioned the rising costs of the Iran war, expressing doubts. Rosa DeLauro, the highest-ranking Democratic member of the House Appropriations Committee, stated, “Since this war began, the government has lacked transparency.” She pointed out that costs are increasing daily, while the government’s conflict strategy remains unclear, and hostile actions could erupt again at any time.

Minnesota Representative Betty McCollum, a senior Democrat on the Defense Subcommittee, noted that previous estimates of the war’s cost were $25 billion and called on senior Pentagon officials to “dig deeper” into more details. McCollum also asked Hagel if he planned to withdraw troops or transfer assets out of the region if Congress did not authorize continued military action under the War Powers Act. “If necessary, we have escalation plans; if necessary, we have withdrawal plans; if necessary, we have transfer plans,” Hagel replied, stating he did not want to provide these details publicly. (Jin10)