Pete Hegseth and Ro Khanna Feud Over the Cost of the Iran War
Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democrat, and Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fought over the economic cost of the Iran war. Khanna was determined to get an answer out of Hegseth in his first Congress hearing about the Iran war.
Khanna reminded Hegseth that he previously testified that $25 billion in munition has been spent. Hegseth built on his previous statement. He said that the figure already accounts for the repairs of the damaged bases. It would also be used for the replenishment of weapons and ammunition.
Khanna then brought up the issue of supplementary funding to Hegseth and asked the secretary to give a number. Hegseth claims that the funding will be used largely for ammunition and that it will be under $25 billion. However, if it were true that $25 billion is enough, why did the Pentagon request $200 billion in additional funding for the Iran war from the White House? This happened in the middle of March, and the situation may have drastically changed. Nevertheless, the drastic shift in funding requests is enough to merit questions.
What are taxpayers funding?
Khanna proceeded with an inquiry that strikes at the heart of Americans who’ve been hard-hit by the current war economy.
Khanna scathingly said, “How much did it cost American taxpayers in terms of the strike to the Iranian school, where kids were killed? Do you have that number?”
Hegseth called the situation unfortunate and clarified that it is still under investigation. Nevertheless, the secretary responded, “I wouldn’t tie a cost to that.”
Shajareh Tayyebeh, a girls’ school in the proximity of an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) base, was struck by a missile. The investigation is still ongoing, but it is widely believed that the United States military was at fault. Notably, a tomahawk-shaped missile was seen in footage when the school was struck—and these missiles are exclusively made in the US.
How much are Americans paying for the war to continue?
Khanna proceeded with an inquiry that strikes at the heart of Americans who’ve been hard-hit by the current war economy.
“Do you know how much it will cost Americans in terms of their increased cost in gas and food over the next year because of the Iran war?” Khanna asked, and it immediately hit a sore spot for Hegseth.
“I would simply ask you what the cost is if Iran had a nuclear bomb,” Hegseth deflected. He continued, “You’re playing gotcha questions about domestic things.”
Khanna reclaimed his time from Hegseth and asked a clarifier.
“You had no one do the analysis on what the increased cost of gas and food for the American people is going to be?” Instead of answering the question, Hegseth went on to ask Khanna about the cost of Iran with a nuclear weapon while they hold the Strait of Hormuz hostage.
Khanna decided to answer both questions.
The representative said that the cost to taxpayers in total will be “$631 billion, which means it’s an increase of $5,000 a year for American households.” Khanna didn’t explain the number of people per household, but nevertheless, the alleged increase in cost is shocking.
Hegseth circles back to MAGA talking points
He would then answer Hegseth’s question regarding the cost of having a nuclear Iran. The representative said, “You’re saying that your operation is preventing a nuclear Iran. Will you acknowledge there is an economic cost to the American people for doing what you believe is necessary to make Iran denuclear?”
Hegseth only said that the current administration has “a great economic team” but did not directly answer the original inquiry.
Khanna, floored by Hegseth’s answer, said, “You know what is upsetting to me? You didn’t even do the analysis on how much it’s costing the American people.” The representative’s issue is that Hegseth could not defend his argument. In a war that is costing Americans greatly, Khanna expected Hegseth to know the numbers.
“It used to be that type of stuff worked,” Khanna said, referring to Hegseth’s diversion. He continued, “And then you started to lose the people that you wanted to be for… You betrayed a lot of that MAGA base.” What people from the base assumed would be an era of prosperity has been derailed by Trump’s impulse to go to war.
But whether or not MAGA truly “feels” abandoned will only reflect in the upcoming midterm elections. Republicans are either going to be in for a pleasant or a devastating surprise. With Trump currently sitting at a 39% approval rate, the Republicans might know what to expect.
(featured image: The White House)
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