MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with senators yesterday in a hearing that turned contentious at times. He was asking for billions of dollars in additional funding for the Pentagon.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
In a few minutes, we'll speak with one of the lawmakers who questioned Hegseth Tuesday. Senator Patty Murray is the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. But first, some background. Hegseth's new price tag for the war is $37.5 billion. This, after a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has broken down, and attacks from both sides are intensifying. That has frustrated some lawmakers, who are now being asked to continue funding a war Congress never authorized.
MARTIN: Joining us now to talk about this is NPR congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales. Claudia, good morning to you.
CLAUDIA GRISALES, BYLINE: Good morning, Michel.
MARTIN: So Hegseth sat for several hours with lawmakers yesterday. Just bring us up to date on what he was asking for.
GRISALES: Well, it's part of a Trump administration request for $67 billion in emergency funding as the war picks up speed again that would replenish equipment and munitions that have been used and get projects and equipment deliveries moving faster. Hegseth said, without additional funding, the department could see shortfalls in service member pay. And he warned there could also be an effect on troop readiness.
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PETE HEGSETH: Training right now and training in the future that would have to be curtailed if we do not get our budget needs met, and met urgently.
GRISALES: And this comes on top of a record defense budget request of $1.5 trillion that the Trump administration proposed earlier this year. Hegseth said this funding was long overdue.
MARTIN: And what did the lawmakers have to say about that? What was their response?
GRISALES: Well, senators from both sides of the aisle said there's still a long list of unanswered questions. They asked Hegseth about Iran's nuclear program, about its missile capabilities and about the future of the Strait of Hormuz. So in essence, reflecting the level of uncertainty and skepticism among some members worried about the direction of the war. At times, there was some real frustration on display, even from Republicans. One moment came after Louisiana GOP Senator John Kennedy asked Hegseth if Iran still has access to nuclear capabilities.
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HEGSETH: This is a regime hell-bent on nuclear ambitions. And...
JOHN KENNEDY: Guys...
HEGSETH: President Trump's...
KENNEDY: We need straight answers.
HEGSETH: ...Been willing to go after this.
KENNEDY: We need straight answers.
MARTIN: And what about the Democrats? What did we hear from them?
GRISALES: Well, Hegseth really faced an intense grilling from Democrats. One of the most heated exchanges came at the end of the hearing with Michigan Senator Gary Peters.
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GARY PETERS: But if there's a lack of a winning strategy, they're in harm's way. Their leaders have failed them. And that's what's happening. We have political leadership - you. You don't have a strategy. You don't have a long-term plan to actually win this war. Win the war. The men and women are going to be able to do it, but they need to have leadership.
GRISALES: And that really captured the fury that Democrats have with this ongoing war. They say it's exacted immense losses for the country. That includes the 18 service members killed since the start of the war and the nearly 500 injured.
MARTIN: And what is the political reality of all this for President Trump and his party?
GRISALES: Right. As the war drags on and closer to the elections, it's creating bitter headaches for Republicans, and Democrats are capitalizing on that. Take the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Patty Murray. One key argument she made is that gasoline prices have started to climb higher after the latest uptick in fighting. That's sure to be a message that we're going to be hearing from Democrats as they hammer it on the campaign trail and try to win back control of Congress.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Claudia Grisales. Claudia, thank you.
GRISALES: Thank you so much. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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