Amna Nawaz
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WATCH: Sen. Shaheen asks Hegseth why Defense Department isn’t spending money it already has
Posted
July 21, 2026
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July 21, 2026
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2:27Now PlayingSen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday why his department is “asking the American people to absorb the cost of a war they don't support.”
During a hearing on President Donald Trump’s $87.6 billion supplemental funding request, Shaheen noted that Hegseth had testified that the Department of Defense has “barely spent half of the $150 billion in reconciliation funding” and still has “$75 billion available.” The bulk of the new request would be used for the war.
Hegseth said funding from Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill was allocated to rebuilding the military “with priorities of the president like Golden Dome for America, and hypersonics, and other munitions investments that we made upfront.”
Shaheen asked whether Congress should expect an additional request to address damages from the war in Iran.
“At what point do you stop asking Americans to foot the bill for a war they don't support on top of an inflated budget,” she asked. According to a May PBS News/NPR/Marist poll, 6 in 10 Americans disapproved of the way Trump was handling the war in Iran.
Hegseth pushed back against her characterization, saying he “would hope for some perspective in this town of the historic nature of what President Trump is undertaking.”
Hegseth’s appearance before Senate lawmakers comes after the U.S. rolled out its 10th consecutive night of strikes against Iran. At least three American service members have been killed in recent days. As war between the two nations intensifies, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, forcing U.S. gas prices to jump again.
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