US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told House lawmakers Tuesday that the ceasefire with Iran remains in effect despite recent exchanges of fire as he faces another round of bipartisan questioning over the costs and endgame of the war. He's now testifying before the Senate.
Hegseth has so far softened his tone from previous congressional hearings as he defended the Trump administration's historic 1.5 trillion dollars military budget request for 2027. The Pentagon's top budget official told Congress the cost of the war has climbed to nearly 29 billion dollars, up 4 billion dollars from the price he provided nearly two weeks ago.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, is facing increasing pressure from the economic shocks of Iran effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping corridor where 20 per cent of the world's oil normally flows.
Defense secretary tells senators Trump has authority to resume war
That posture has resulted in some tension between the Republican-controlled Congress and White House.
Presidents are required by law to gain authorisation from Congress after 60 days of starting a war. However, the White House has argued that the 60-day deadline no longer applies because the war is currently in a ceasefire.
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski voiced some skepticism to that argument. Pointing to the troops and warships deployed to the region, she said, "It doesn't appear that that hostilities have ended."
Murkowski has hinted she may bring legislation that would authorize the use of military force against Iran.
Hegseth claims the US controls the Strait of Hormuz
He claimed to senators that "ultimately we control the Strait, because nothing's going in that we don't allow to go in."
It was a striking statement from the defense secretary at a time when Iran has seized control of the waterway, causing a global spike in fuel prices that's rippled through other economic sectors. In response, the U.S. has tried to cut off all Iranian traffic through the strait as well.
Hegseth claimed "the economic pressure that creates on them greatly outstrips the pressure on us."
Cuban diplomat slams Hegseth's testimony that Havana poses a threat to the US
Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, the Cuban ambassador to the U.N., said Tuesday that it is the U.S., not the small island country, that poses "an unusual and extraordinary threat" to the world and international law.
"Its acts of aggression and threats against Venezuela, Iran, Greenland, Canada, His Holiness the Pope, Palestine, Mexico, Cuba — and an endless list of others — demonstrate this to be true," Guzman said in a statement.
His comments came hours after Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, a Florida Republican, asked Hegseth in a congressional hearing whether he believed the Cuban government poses a national security threat to the U.S. The Pentagon chief responded, "I do."
GOP senator pushes for the military to take a harder line on Iran
There are plenty of lawmakers, including Republicans, who are uneasy with President Donald Trump's war with Iran. GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham isn't one of them.
He drew a tough line as he questioned the Trump administration's efforts to draw down the conflict and questioned the decision to use China and Pakistan as intermediaries in peace negotiations with Iran.
Graham's ire was mostly aimed at efforts by previous Democratic presidents to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. He said those efforts had "failed."
Graham praised the current war with Iran as "spectacular" and said there should be "more to come."
White House holds off on beef executive orders
The president on Monday had planned to sign two directives meant to address short-term supply issues in the U.S. beef market.
But the White House is saying it's reworking the orders a bit.
A White House official, noting that Trump is "committed" to lowering the cost of beef and other groceries, said Tuesday the administration is "accordingly finetuning potential executive actions." The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.
The two executive orders that had been on tap were meant to expand beef imports and support the renewal of America's domestic cattle herd.
