WATCH: Smith says he worries what U.S. shows the world when Trump threatens to end a civilization

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said he worries about the values the U.S. shows the world when President Donald Trump makes threats like a “whole civilization will die,” as he posted to social media on April 7.

“If we are going to be this big powerful force that throws our weight around the world, the world wants to know at a minimum that we're doing it for the right reasons and for the sense of values to protect people, not to destroy entire civilizations,” the lawmaker said.

Smith said he grew up on stories of America being the country that the Germans would surrender to at the end of World War II, not Russia, because they could trust our values.

“We don't seem to care about those values,” Smith said. “No rules of engagement. Give them no quarter, right? That is not who we are supposed to be.”

Hegseth and other Pentagon officials were invited to testify on President Donald Trump’s 2027 budget request to  increase defense spending to $1.5 trillion – the largest proposed amount in decades.

The House hearing gave lawmakers a chance to question the defense leaders for the first time since the start of the war on Iran, which the U.S. and Israel launched at the end of February. While Hegseth has touted the Iran war as “a gift to the world,” polls have found that a majority of Americans disapprove of the conflict and the Trump administration’s handling of it.

Sign up for Here's The Deal with Lisa Desjardins

Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters

PBS News podcasts

Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app

Find more from PBS News at

Subscribe to our YouTube channel