U.S. Secretary of War to be questioned before Congress for second day
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegsey faces a new session of intense questioning by Democrats at the Capitol on Thursday over his handling of the Iran war.
Higgseth had a heated debate with Democrats — and some Republicans — on Wednesday during a nearly six-hour hearing of the House Armed Services Committee, where he was asked sharp questions about the war's costs in terms of money, lives and dwindling stockpiles of vital weapons.
The Senate Armed Services Committee will hear a similar presentation on the Trump administration's 2027 defense budget proposal, which would raise defense spending to a historic $1.5 trillion level.
Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Kane, will reiterate the need for more drones, missile defense systems and warships.
They are likely to face tough questions about U.S. troop levels in Europe, after President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued a new threat against NATO ally Germany, hinting at the possibility of reducing the U.S. military presence in Germany, in light of his disagreement with Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the Iran war.
Trump attacks German chancellor: 'He doesn't understand what he's saying'
US President Donald Trump said that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz does not know what he is saying about Iran, and Trump wrote on the social networking site Truth Social on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, "German Chancellor Merz believes that it is acceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. He doesn't understand anything!"
US President Donald Trump has escalated his criticism of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, saying his stance on Iran's nuclear program reflects a "deterioration in Germany's economic situation", amid rising tensions over the war in Iran.
Trump returned on Wednesday to write in a new post on the Truth Social platform, Trump said that Mertz does not see Iran's possession of a nuclear weapon as a "problem," which he described as an indication of "the bad situation in Germany."
Trump added that Iran, if it gets a nuclear weapon, "will dominate the whole world," stressing that what he has done to Tehran "should have been done by other leaders a long time ago," referring to ongoing military operations.
Meretz: Iranians are negotiating with great skill
On Monday, the German chancellor said that Iran's leadership is working to humiliate the United States in an ongoing conflict, from which the United States has no strategy to get out, adding at a press conference: "An entire nation is being humiliated by the Iranian leadership, especially by the so-called Revolutionary Guards."
"The Iranians are negotiating with great skill, as is clear," he said, urging an end to the war as soon as possible because of the direct impact on the German economy, noting that "the Iranians are much stronger than he thought" and that Washington "lacks a convincing strategy in negotiations."
He added that the United States' entry into the war "without a clear plan" further complicates ending the conflict, which puts it in an awkward position for the Iranian leadership.