▶ 0:16:12>> thank you. His hearing at the senate appropriations committeebefore g today, I want to take a moment to recognize the american service members who recently made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our nation.
▶ 0:16:41We send our deepest condolences to their families, loved ones, and fellow service members and we honor their courage, dedication, and sacrifice.
▶ 0:17:01We also grieve today in the first meeting of the appropriations since his passing the absence of our friend, our dear friend and colleague, senator lindsey graham. Turning now to the first panel, I want to express my appreciation for senators rounds, budd, and padilla, for appearing to talk about the
▶ 0:17:32Urgent needs facing their states. I also welcome secretary hegseth, secretary rollins, and general caine, and thank them for joining us to discuss the president's supplemental funding request. Our country has many urgent funding needs.
▶ 0:17:53For many agricultural producers, 2025 was a year in which the cost of growing their crop at times exceeded what they could earn from selling it. Severe weather compounded these losses. This was certainly the case for many growers in the state of maine.
▶ 0:18:17Our wild blueberry growers and apple producers had to contend with the challenge of a combination of challenging market conditions and excessively rainy spring that prevented colonization, and drought conditions in the summer and fall.
▶ 0:18:37I expect that we will hear a great deal today about how declining commodity prices, rising input costs, labor shortages, trade disruptions, pests and disease, and increasingly volatile weather are squeezing our farmers already thin margins. Nationwide, we have lost 200,000 farms in the last decade.
▶ 0:19:07In maine alone, more than 500 closed between 2017 and 2022 according to the most recent census of agriculture. Our farmers are part of the fabric of america's verbal communities -- rural communities and they need help to survive.
▶ 0:19:33Usda has said additional short-term assistance is needed to help producers whether these extraordinary -- weather these are two ordinary conditions while long-term improvements take hold. I look forward to today's discussion and making sure any assistance is structured to meet the needs of specialty crop producers such as we have in maine.
▶ 0:20:02We will also hear today about the ongoing recovery needs of communities in north carolina as well as communities in california and I suspect other states, too. That are still working to rebuild after being hit by devastating hurricanes and wildfires.
▶ 0:20:28I would note the administration statement that it is open to discussing additional relief for other urgent matters is encouraging because there is strong interest from members on both sides of the aisle in discussing additional targeted relief.
▶ 0:20:49Turning now to the defense request, I look forward to hearing from our department of defense witnesses and their discussion on why the supplemental funding is critical to supporting our service members and protecting america's national security. There are certainly divergent views on this committee about the decision to use military force against iran.
▶ 0:21:19The senate as a body has already taken numerous votes on these issues and will likely continue to do so. But irrespective of our different views about the military operations the fact remains that there are must pay bills and urgent requirements facing the department that affect the ability of our troops to be well trained and more
▶ 0:21:50Broadly of the U.S. military to deter and defend against potential aggressors worldwide. I would note that some of the requirements such as the shortfalls in munitions have been well-known to this committee for some time and prior to the conflict with iran, there has been bipartisan support to address these
▶ 0:22:21Shortfalls. While these munitions shortfalls have been years in the making, they are growing increasingly urgent. We should not undermine the readiness of our service members for any engagement or refuse to rebuild critical capabilities.
▶ 0:22:44Our men, women in uniform do not decide where they are sent or the missions to which they are assigned. Congress has a responsibility to ensure that they have the tools, the training, and the support that they need to accomplish their missions.
▶ 0:23:06On the topic of our service members, I would be remiss if I did not know that since january of last year, the department has removed a number of senior generals and admirals from their positions, blocked or altered promotion lists across multiple services, and intervened in several senior assignments.
▶ 0:23:38A recent new york times story reported that about 40 senior officers were removed from promotion lists and more than two dozen generals and admirals were fired or sidelined including admiral lisa frank eddy, the first woman to lead the navy.
▶ 0:24:02The times further reports that more than half of those fired or removed have been female or black and that for the first time in more than a decade, no active duty female naval officers are likely to be promoted to admiral. I find this deeply troubling.
▶ 0:24:30These are men and women who volunteered to serve our country and swore an oath to support and defend our constitution. Over the course of their careers , they have earned the support and the trust of their commanders and subordinates and let our men and women in uniform and were selected through rigorous command and promotion boards.
▶ 0:25:00They served under presidents and defense secretaries from both parties. Reports that women and people of color are disproportionately fired or sidelined create the impression that their service is not valued.
▶ 0:25:21This is likely to discourage well-qualified women and individuals of color from joining our armed forces, thus depriving us of their talent, dedication, and patriotism. The united states military is one of the greatest meritocracy's in the free world. We need to make sure that it stays that way.
▶ 0:25:53I now recognize vice president mary for her opening statement. >> thank you to all your witnesses who are here today. I want to acknowledge the loss of one of our colleagues on this dais. Like so many, I was shocked and saddened to learn of senator graham's passing.
▶ 0:26:11We disagreed on many issues but there was no denying the energy that lindsay brought to this job and whatever we could, we found common ground and managed to get something done so I wanted to express my heart goes out to his family, friends, and loved ones today. I want to start with a few facts.
▶ 0:26:32143 days ago, president trump started a war of his own choosing with iran and did not consult congress, did not get operate -- authorization from congress, did not build a coalition of allies, did not make a case to the american people nor did he ever win their support. Two thirds of americans oppose the war and the president's decision had catastrophic costs.
▶ 0:27:0017 american service members have now died. That includes 33 who tragically lost their lives over the last few days and another is still missing. Several hundred more have been injured including nearly 100 who have been hurt just in the last few weeks. We owe all of them and their families a debt of gratitude. We can never repay.
▶ 0:27:23Thousands of civilians have also been killed and this administration will not tell the public or congress the true financial costs of this war but we know it is very well into the tens of billions of dollars. Tax dollars we could have spent helping people afford health care or building new housing have now been lit on fire by a president who blundered us into a disastrous war. The cost of family's bank accounts is staggering.
▶ 0:27:58Inflation has shot up 50% since this war began. On average, gas costs just under three dollars on february 28 and today, it's over four dollars and going back up with the straight closed again. Americans have now paid more than $70 billion more on gas since this war began over $550 more per household.
▶ 0:28:22Fertilizer costs skyrocketed in the middle of spring planting, pushing farmers operating on extremely thin margins and costing families more on just about everything they buy at the grocery store. The costs of this war have been astronomical in what has it done for? What has actually been achieved? We hear a different rationale for this war every few days. It was about preempting imminent threats which we now know did not exist.
▶ 0:28:53It was about regime change and then liberating the iranian people. It was about destroying iran's nuclear program and its navy and at one point, it was about taking out its ballistic missiles until the president decided it's a little bit unfair for them not to have some.
▶ 0:29:11Trump even suggested the wars -- the worries about taking iran's oil to make a fortune and now, the united states primary strategic objective seems to be to actually just reopened the strait of hormuz which of course was fully open toll-free before this war began. President shimon peres by any objective measure failed to achieve his goals. Our country is no safer or better off than before the war. We are considerably less safe.
▶ 0:29:44Our stockpiles have been completed and it will take -- depleted and it will take years to replenish them before -- and our global force posture is much weaker and as assets have been moved to the middle east, we are now much further away from a long-term solution to halt iran's nuclear program then we were before trump looked up the deal that president obama negotiated which secured measurable commitments and progress without ever starting a
▶ 0:30:15Classy work. There are new reports that iran may have moved nuclear assets into a mountain bunker which raises concerns about whether iran might reset his program. It used to be a pretty somber and serious thing a president taking america to war and costing lines and taxpayer dollars but this president has been downright flippant.
▶ 0:30:39The people I represent worry trump thinks this is all a game and sent men and women into harm's way without any sort of plan and now that he has driven the car into the ditch, he wants taxpayers to bail him out. As the daughter of a world war ii veteran, and a purple heart recipient, the way this white house has blissfully operated with no plan for success is disrespectful to our men and women in uniform.
▶ 0:31:07These are patriots, highly trained, and have sacrificed tremendously to keep us safe. They should not be forced to put a show on for the president's birthday parade or do the job of border patrol agent's or risk their lives in a disaster the president clearly failed to think through. As a U.S.
▶ 0:31:26Senator, this administration's refusal to explain what it is doing or how this war is protecting americans , its refusal to seek authorization from congress and its expectation that america -- americans will now just pay for it all without any explanation or transparency is disrespectful. It's insulting to the people back home that all of us represent so here we are five months later. It's closed.
▶ 0:31:54The cease-fire has not just disintegrated. This war is now spiraling out of control again. The president's threatening escalation and war crimes and suggesting this could be another forever war. He has told us over 40 times now that a deal is near and the war will be over soon. But now, he hit -- he's asking for your $70 million more and for us to trust him that it will work out fine.
▶ 0:32:24My democratic colleagues and I will do absolutely everything to ensure that we do take care about service members and keep this country safe. Chairman kaine, I hope you know that every democrat on this committee deeply respects the sacrifices that you and our service members and families are making.
▶ 0:32:45Everyone who signed up to serve our country deserves to be more than an afterthought in a war that the president decided to launch despite all the blinking red warnings but my colleagues and I cannot and will not support rubberstamping a request to bankroll this war and whatever misadventures trump wants to get us into.
▶ 0:33:05The american people want to see a quick and strategic end to this war, not $70 billion of their tax dollars sent to keep it going. I want to make a few important points. The president's request is not even primarily a request to cover the costs of the iran war.
▶ 0:33:26This request is chock-full of asks to fund unrelated dod priorities which should be considered through our annual appropriations process, not in an emergency supplemental and that includes almost $1 billion for south calm, nearly $1 billion to keep deploying the national guard here in bc and more than $1 billion for the southern border.
▶ 0:33:51President trump is making this request as the pentagon has a record breaking $1 trillion total budget for fy 26 including over $75 billion that it has in unspent money for republicans big ugly bill. You may have mismanaged your budget, secretary hegseth, but you have to do your due diligence to fix the cash flow problems that you caused before asking taxpayers for more.
▶ 0:34:22Third, then the president is now asking for all of us to approve tens of billions of dollars in new funding for the war while his administration still has yet to share actual cost estimates commit essential information to justify this request and a plan for where on earth this conflict goes next.
▶ 0:34:44This administration is either hiding the truth from congress and the american people or if you take at face value what they said in the few briefings that we have had, they have no idea what is going on and no land to right the ship. Neither of which is acceptable. Trump is asking congress for over $10 billion to help struggling american farmers who have been crushed first by the tariffs and then by this war which has shot diesel prices through the roof.
▶ 0:35:13I'm digging into that request but let me be clear. As we are looking at what farmers might need to weather trump's storm, we must also help families put food on the table and to do that, we should delay and reverse republicans deep cuts to snap which have already kicked at least one million kids off of food assistance.
▶ 0:35:35Trump is has also requested $1.3 billion in new funding for the state department for global health and humanitarian needs. At the very same time, his administration is withholding more than twice that amount in funding that has already been signed into law and is available for the same purpose. He's also asking for authorities to make U.S.
▶ 0:36:02Taxpayer dollars to subsidize venezuelan oil industry and to finance the establishment of private investment funds like the one he just handed over to one of his ballroom donors. Secretary rubio is not here with us today to explain those requests, to talk about how this war forced one of the largest evacuations of our diplomatic posts ever were to explain whether as a national security advisor he still thinks this war is the right decision on whether
▶ 0:36:33He still believes in it strongly. This is really a request to make taxpayers pay for the president's reckless decisions from the iran war, to its trade wars, to its global health cuts all while doing nothing to help our families back home who are suffering because of those decisions and that is what we should be focused on, helping people because as the senator will tell us shortly, there are urgent domestic needs that we should be addressing instead of sending more money for trump to
▶ 0:37:04Drop bombs overseas. Priorities like disaster relief for our communities that have been ravaged by the unthinkable or taking action to lower families costs. You know what is a crisis right now? The fact that there are families I hear from back home who are working full-time and still being forced to decide whether to skip meals so they finally can buy their kids a pair of shoes. You know what is a crisis? The fact that hospitals are shutting down and kids are going hungry because of republicans cuts.
▶ 0:37:33Instead of bankrolling the presidents more or sending a nice $70 billion, mike rawlings on the other side of the break I'll could work with us to quadruple our investments to cure cancer or help families afford childcare or help them afford to call their homes. Those are policy choices and republican leadership has chosen to focus on funding more in ice endlessly without a single center for american families so let me close with this. This president since we cannot afford health care.
▶ 0:38:03We cannot afford childcare. We cannot afford housing but somehow, we can always afford another war. Most -- no price tag on that. Families in washington state aren't skipping doctors visits so they can afford groceries. Trump wants congress to cut him a blank check for a war no one supports. The american people entrust us to spend the taxpayer dollars strategically and thoughtfully. This is a huge responsibility so let me be clear.
▶ 0:38:31I am ready to work with my colleagues in a bipartisan way as always to address the needs of our nation and the american people but I hope we can have real conversations about why they seems to always be money for trump's wars but never money for the families back home who are desperate for a little relief so I look forward to today's discussion. Thank you. >> I will now introduce our first panel of witnesses.
▶ 0:38:59Today, we are going to be hearing for us from our colleagues, senator mike rounds of south dakota. Senator ted budd of north carolina, and senator alex padilla of california. I welcome all of you and senator rounds, we will begin with you first.
▶ 0:39:20Sen. Rounds: Chair collins, vice chair mary, members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to highlight why food security and national security go hand in hand. I would like to thank the trump administration for recognizing that input pressures have made it more difficult for american farmers to support their own operations. In south dakota, farming and ranching is more than a job.
▶ 0:39:45Sen. Rounds: It's a way of life built on hard work, stewardship, and the hope of leaving the land better for the next generation. Feeding and fueling the world has never been easy. Producers continue showing up year after year despite drought, floods, disease, pests, volatile markets, and other challenges beyond their control. This supplemental funding request comes at a critical time. Farmers and ranchers are facing production costs that exceed market returns.
▶ 0:40:17Sen. Rounds: Higher fertilizer, diesel fuel, equipment and crop protection costs coupled with retaliatory trade practices and continued market uncertainty have put 8 -- enormous financial pressure on producers, specifically the projected loss per acre across the country in 2026 for corn is $131. For cotton, $342. For wheat, one hundred $14.
▶ 0:40:48Sen. Rounds: For soybeans, $80. While we work to strengthen america's ability to produce more of what we need here at home and reduce reliance on foreign supply chains, congress should provide stability so producers can remain in business and continue producing the best food and fuel in the world. Today's threats extend well beyond the weather and markets.
▶ 0:41:16Sen. Rounds: Foreign adversaries, cyber threats, industry consolidation, arbitrary standards and unfair trade practices impact performance ability to produce food, fiber, and fuel. Food security, energy security, and national security are connected.
▶ 0:41:33Sen. Rounds: We also have an opportunity to strengthen both agriculture and energy security by permanently authorizing voluntary access to nationwide, year-round sales of e-15, giving consumers the option to choose a higher ethanol blend would increase domestic field production, expand markets for corn growers, reduce reliance on foreign energy sources and provide families with lower cost options at the pump.
▶ 0:42:03Sen. Rounds: Given the significant defense investments included in this supplemental, I also want to emphasize the importance of fully funding our national defense. We are living in one of the most complex and lethal threat environments since the second world war and the brave men and women who volunteer to defend this country deserve the leadership, training, and equipment along with resources necessary to maintain america's military advantage, protecting
▶ 0:42:34Sen. Rounds: America's food supply, energy supply, and national defense are not separate priorities. They reinforce one another. The supplemental provides needed assistance to help farm and ranch families indoor today's economic challenges while congress and the administration continue advancing long-term policies that strengthen american agriculture. I urge my colleagues to support the supplemental request to provide stability to our ag producers at this time.
▶ 0:43:04Sen. Rounds: Thank you, madam chair. >> thank you, senator rounds.
▶ 0:43:11Sen. Budd: Chair collins, vice chair mary, members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify this afternoon, to provide a voice for the people in western north carolina. More than 21 months ago, hurricane helene unleashed an unprecedented amount of rainfall on the blue ridge mountains, causing severe flooding and devastating landslides. The storm left behind tens of billions of dollars in damage.
▶ 0:43:38Sen. Budd: In december of 2024, congress responded by approving a disaster supplemental that provided billions of dollars to western north carolina recovery. Additionally, north carolina's state government stepped up by committing roughly $2.4 billion in state appropriations and redirecting more than $2 billion from state agencies for reconstruction.
▶ 0:44:00Sen. Budd: But the blue ridge mountains challenging terrain has made it uniquely difficult for federal programs to operate, resulting in delays and inefficiencies and there is still work to be done. Too many projects in western north carolina have stalled due to insufficient funding or because of financial shortfalls from expensive debris removal and rebuilding efforts.
▶ 0:44:25Sen. Budd: I greatly appreciate president trump and secretary mullin have empowered fema to more rapidly reimburse the state and local governments for public assistance projects. However, fema is only one part of the equation. The environmental protection agency, department of housing and urban development, and other federal agencies play a key role in disaster recovery. In much of the existing disaster funding for those agencies has already been allocated. When I visit western north carolina, I see the impacts the delays in recovery have caused.
▶ 0:44:57Sen. Budd: Debris still clogs the waterways. Facilities that provide drinking water and manage wastewater have yet to be rebuilt. Most concerning, some homeowners are paying mortgages on properties that are still unlivable or yet to be rebuilt. Towns have been forced to embrace expensive short term stopgap solutions just to carry out their most basic functions for their residents. In the small town of beech mountain, there is no long-term water supply.
▶ 0:45:26Sen. Budd: The water treatment plant was heavily damaged, forcing the town out of compliance with safety standards and as a result, the state could be finding -- finding them $20,000 per day. Most repairs are needed so the water treatment plan can function long-term. This process will take at least a year and require significant diversion of utilities and daily water trucks so hundreds of residents will have to have clean drinking water during construction.
▶ 0:45:57Sen. Budd: Three years is too long to wait after a disaster and we cannot delay any longer. Tourism, the lifeblood of west -- much of western north carolina, has begun to rebound that there are still far too many areas that are unable to accommodate travelers they once welcomed. I want to highlight a few examples of success stories to show how ample funding for the last disaster supplemental. With exceptional planning and project execution made an immediate impact on our mountain communities.
▶ 0:46:26Sen. Budd: Last july, portions of the blue ridge parkway we opened up to 50 seven landslides struck 200 miles of the parkway. This memorial day weekend, the lake reopened to the public after an incredible degree remover and refilling project.
▶ 0:46:44Sen. Budd: I want to be clear that I fully support person transfer request to replenish our munition stockpile and strengthen our military and I am also appreciative of the efforts to provide economic assistance to farmers impacted by disasters and unfair trade practices. To address the long-term recovery needs of western north carolina, more federal funds are needed. Every time I am in western north carolina, people asked me to make sure that they are not forgotten.
▶ 0:47:12Sen. Budd: This is congress plus chance to remind them that we are serious about helping them get back on their feet. I am deeply grateful to members of the committee for holding the steering and I look forward to continuing to work with you throughout this whole process. Thank you.
▶ 0:47:24Chair Collins: Thank you, senator.
▶ 0:47:29Sen. Padilla: Thank you, madam chair, members of the committee, appreciate the opportunity to testify on behalf of the people of california and especially the survivors of last year's devastating fires in los angeles county and I want to acknowledge some of them are here in the audience today, advocating for relief and I am proud to work alongside them.
▶ 0:47:55Sen. Padilla: As many of you recall, 18 months ago, 60,000 acres across southern california burned, roughly 3.5 times the size of manhattan. Over 16,000 homes, businesses, schools, and other structures were destroyed and most devastating, 31 californians lost their lives.
▶ 0:48:19Sen. Padilla: More than 70 500 firefighters worked literally around the clock for more than three weeks to extinguish the fire's and this firefighters were not just from california. Many came from oregon, washington, arizona, some as far away as utah, texas, and montana. As americans, that is what we do. We help each other.
▶ 0:48:46Sen. Padilla: We don't condition our response based on who it committee voted for in the last election. When americans need help, we help. Walking around the palisades that the altadena communities during the fires and after the fires, you could not help but be moved by the scale of the devastation, the images of nothing standing but a chimney amongst a pile of ash.
▶ 0:49:14Sen. Padilla: Cars melted into the streets with the drivers, they had been parked. A bipartisan basis to provide aid and long-term recovery funding to help communities recover and rebuild regardless of whether the disaster was in a state represented by republicans or democrats but instead of following that historical practice, this administration has left california waiting for more than a year and a half
▶ 0:49:45Sen. Padilla: While asking congress to find hundreds of billions of dollars for other purposes. I want to be crystal clear, no disaster impacted community, regardless of where it's located should ever be held hostage or treated as a bargaining chip for other priorities. Californians in altadena and the palisades have waited more than 18 months yet long-term recovery funding is still absent from even the administration's request.
▶ 0:50:17Sen. Padilla: Instead, it asks taxpayers to spend hundreds of billions of dollars more on a war that congress has never authorized, a word that is raising gas prices, worsening supply chains, making our country less safe and for which 17 service members have already paid the ultimate sacrifice with many more seriously injured.
▶ 0:50:40Sen. Padilla: We know this committee can address disaster relief without tying it to a laundry list of unrelated priorities because it has done so many thank you for including us recently as december of 2024 when the committee on a bipartisan basis passed $100 billion of relief. There is no reason we cannot do it again.
▶ 0:51:02Sen. Padilla: Congress -- colleagues, we must reject the premise that it's ok to keep survivors waiting for help because any president decides something else from congress to get it. To that end, I want to thank my colleagues, send, shift, and curtis for joining me in sending a bipartisan letter to the committee, just yesterday supporting long-term disaster recovery funding and I would like to enter this letter into the record at this time.
▶ 0:51:35Sen. Padilla: >> thank you, senator padilla. I'm sorry. >> I will be wrapping up soon here. I also want to edit -- reiterate what I said earlier. The next disaster, anyone who stepped outside of washington this last weekend in at least a dozen states saw and briefed the impacts of wildfires and it may -- it's going to be one of our states next.
▶ 0:52:04Sen. Padilla: As of last week, the federal government has already spent over $3.3 billion in wildfire suppression this fiscal year even though the peak of fire season is august and september. That is still ahead of us. That should concern the committee. We cannot allow wildfire suppression funding to run out before the end of the fiscal year so in addition to long-term disaster recovery funding, I urge the committee to examine the need for emergency suppression funds as well.
▶ 0:52:33Sen. Padilla: I would note that the fire fix, which has provided a steady resource for fighting wildfires will expire in fiscal year 2027. Congress needs to extend an increase that funding to ensure firefighters have all the resources they need to respond to the ever growing threat of wildfires. I will close by reiterating what I said at the outset.
▶ 0:52:55Sen. Padilla: Disasters do not distinguish between red states and blue states and when it comes to disaster aid, neither should congress so thank you again for holding this hearing, allowing me to be a voice for my constituents and for disaster survivors across the country. I look forward to working with this committee to ensure that everyone has the resources they need to recover and rebuild regardless of which state they call home. Thank you very much.
▶ 0:53:24Sen. Padilla: >> I appreciate the testimony of the entire panel as we consider the supplemental submitted by the administration. Your testimony is very helpful to us. Thank you. I will now ask that our second panel of witnesses come forward.
▶ 0:54:34Sen. Padilla: Leave it to our military witness to be on time. While we are waiting for our second panel to be seated, let me introduce your joints today
▶ 0:55:05Sen. Padilla: By the secretary of war, pete hegseth, the secretary of agriculture, brooke rollins, and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, general dan caine. These officials represent the largest components of the administration's request and we welcome them to the committee today. Secretary hegseth, we will begin with your testimony.
▶ 0:55:35Sen. Padilla: Please proceed. >> chair collins, vice chair murray, members of the senate committee on appropriations, thank you for the opportunity. To testify on president trump's request for the department of war. We live in a dangerous war that requires bold and swift action. This supplemental request for fiscal year 2026 and this is a necessary injection of resources to address the immediate needs of our department.
▶ 0:56:06Sen. Padilla: The fund all -- funding request is not a substitute. >> [indiscernible] >> the witness will suspend until order is restored in the committee room.
▶ 0:56:29Sen. Padilla: I know the individuals feel very passionately but we must have order in the hearing room so that we can proceed and we are not going to move forward to -- with our hearing and secretary hegseth's please proceed. Press the supplemental funding request is not a substitute for the president's phone 1.5 trillion dollar base request. $1.5 trillion.
▶ 0:56:56Sen. Padilla: >> stop bombing our children in iran and palestine. It's illegal.
▶ 0:57:02Chair Collins: Mr. secretary, please suspend until order is restored. -- restored in the hearing room. We will begin the timing clock since you have been interrupted twice. Please proceed. >> 1.5 trillion dollars is what the president seeks and what we need to defend the country.
▶ 0:57:30Chair Collins: The members of this committee understand better than most that long-term strategic dominance cannot be funded through one-off supplements. >> [indiscernible] right now. [gavel]
▶ 0:57:44Chair Collins: We will have order. -- order in the hearing room. Mr., please proceed.
▶ 0:57:57Sec. Hegseth: Collectively, the budget proposals submitted under president trump follow a simple logic. >> [indiscernible] [gavel]
▶ 0:58:10Chair Collins: I would ask that the capitol police, whose professionalism I admire, remove those who are seeking to disrupt the hearing. Please proceed.
▶ 0:58:25Sec. Hegseth: President trump is following a simple logic. The military requires a generational investment to deliver on peace through strength and we know the best way to create peace is to prepare for war, to deter it and that is exactly what the department of war is doing, building a force so capable that it would be absurd for anyone to challenge it.
▶ 0:58:48Sec. Hegseth: As the direct result of neglected priorities and gross negligence that ignored threats left over from the previous administration, president trump inherited domestic crises, deferred maintenance almost across the board. Instead of steering the ship, former leaders that our military language through social experiments and globalist appeasement to miss your weakness.
▶ 0:59:16Sec. Hegseth: Under president trump, we have built a different type of department. It's no longer run by bureaucrats. It's led by combat tested veterans and world-class business leaders who are running the department like a business. Tech titans who are bringing lethal innovation to the battlefield.
▶ 0:59:35Sec. Hegseth: We cannot afford in action and we don't make critical investments in text in compute come in and I, and autonomy, in space, our adversaries who are already making these types of investments could outpace us.
▶ 0:59:54Sec. Hegseth: Without these funds, we face critical shortfalls that threaten our ability to pay our service members, replenish munitions, and sustain vital operations without disruption. This request serves two purposes. Sustain our military readiness to meet this year's new demands and accelerate critical capabilities to augment those we have used in contingencies but this is not a one-for-one replacement.
▶ 1:00:23Sec. Hegseth: We are upgrading and we are modernizing across the forest. On the readiness front, we requested 20 $1 billion. This will fund military pay, replace much of the equipment utilized during recent operations, sustain forces, and grow personnel and strength while -- supporting the national guard. On the capabilities side, we requested $46 billion.
▶ 1:00:53Sec. Hegseth: These will accelerate delivery of high demand munitions. We are talking about solid rocket motors, counter drone capabilities. We will use this investment to ensure dominance including satellite networks. Department leadership recognizes appropriating those funds is just the first step.
▶ 1:01:17Sec. Hegseth: Once funds are appropriated or apportioned to the department, we need to execute on them and that is why we are suggesting authorities like transfer authority to prioritize our greatest needs and opportunities , multiyear procurement for weapons systems revolutionizing the speed and scale of munitions procurement and new start authorities.
▶ 1:01:42Sec. Hegseth: Every dollar will be focused on building the lethality of our joint force and peace through strength. As I have said before, not fully funding this department, the department of war, and we know what that means that that means 1.5 trillion dollars given the world that we live in and the disaster of what the biden administration budgets gave us, not funding this department at 1.5 trillion dollars is the greatest threat that our nation
▶ 1:02:14Sec. Hegseth: Faces. Either we invest in our warriors at this moment on the battlefield and growing threats where this is all just talk. I look forward to working with this committee to secure the funds so our war fighters can continue to do work every day to keep our great republic safe. Thank you very much. >> thank you, Mr. secretary. General caine.
▶ 1:02:41Gen. Caine: I am honored to appear before you to testify on the department of war's fiscal 2026 supplemental funding request. I fondly remember my time at usta earlier in my career where I had the chance to serve there. I'm also joined today by my senior enlisted advisor.
▶ 1:03:05Gen. Caine: As always, I am deeply grateful for this committee's continued partnership and support for common defense. I would like to begin by expressing my deep condolences and that of the joint chiefs of staff for the fallen from this past weekend and their families.
▶ 1:03:26Gen. Caine: Today, we remember the first lieutenant, sergeant michael swinton, and private isabel gonzales and noted that the names of our last -- it will be released when we can. I am humbled to daily by the profound commitment of the incredible 2.8 million americans just like these names that I just mentioned who make up our joint forests and serve our nation every day.
▶ 1:03:53Gen. Caine: Also on behalf of the joint force and the joint chief, I want to express my sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family of senator graham for their loss and all of you for the loss of your colleague. The joint force remains grateful for his 44 years of service, both in and out of uniform. There's no doubt that he made a difference to the safety and security of our nation.
▶ 1:04:20Gen. Caine: On july 22 of 1940, general george c marshall said, and I quote, for almost 20 years, we had all of the time and almost none of the money. Today, we have all of the money in no time. His words resonate power -- powerfully with me today as we find ourselves in the somewhat similar situation. I have come to you today to request the necessary funds while in the window of opportunity, while time is still on our side.
▶ 1:04:52Gen. Caine: The united states of america faces a global list of military challenges in the middle east, in europe, in the pacific, both nuclear and nonnuclear challenges and a continued threat of terrorism. We find ourselves living in leading and complex and dynamic times. Our adversaries are aligning in their interests, creating simultaneous challenges across multiple domains. They are sharing intelligence, combat capabilities, and technology.
▶ 1:05:25Gen. Caine: Technology that has -- is accelerating the speed of war. It is an imperative that americans -- americans understand that the character of war is changing. Advances in technology are fundamentally and irreversibly changing the way we fight which necessitates capital to properly arm america's military.
▶ 1:05:49Gen. Caine: Rapid advancements in ai, autonomous systems deliver critical technological advantages to our national defense and simultaneously introduce unprecedented strategic vulnerabilities and uncertainty across the world to include right here at home.
▶ 1:06:08Gen. Caine: The low barrier to entry created by affordable, ubiquitous, unmanned systems means our adversaries, rogue actors, state and nonstate actors, and violent extremists have access to disruptive and potentially lethal technologies at scale. We have seen this in ukraine. We must adopt elements of this fight for our future sites.
▶ 1:06:33Gen. Caine: Conflict is never confined neatly to the land, sea, four air domains. It stretches from the seabed to lunar space and beyond. Cyberspace and in the information domain all at the same time. Our nation must be prepared to fight and win across all of them all the time, all at once.
▶ 1:06:58Gen. Caine: The light speed at which information travels now has compressed our leaders decision space, taking what was once days and weeks in world war ii down to milliseconds. Your joint force must be ready because the united states military is america's greatest insurance policy. I acknowledge all of us find it difficult at times to pay for insurance before we need it. We must have insurance before the storm comes.
▶ 1:07:29Gen. Caine: The armed forces of the united states of america serves as our nation ultimate safeguard and insurance policy to preserve, protect, and defend our national interests, security, and prosperity, to uphold this response ability, we require predictable and consistent funding and this will allow us to partner effectively with our defense and national industrial bases, building on acquisition reforms that guarantee our war fighters receive capabilities at
▶ 1:07:59Gen. Caine: Scale before they are required in conflict or combat. I am struck by this season of american history we find ourselves in and I continue to ask myself, if not now, then when? If not us in this room and the rest of the congress and the nation, then who? I acknowledge the environment we all serve in but always remember that we are all americans with deep and abiding love of our nation and our military service members and their families. I have come today to ask for your help and your support.
▶ 1:08:32Gen. Caine: America's armed forces need one point $5 trillion to meet the military challenges of the future. This supplemental is part of that and to be allowed to use this capital to pay for military personnel operations and maintenance expenses and accelerate investments on critical technologies, as the secretary just mentioned. It is critical we stay ahead of our adversaries and we must have the funds before we are out of time.
▶ 1:08:56Gen. Caine: In closing, I would ask all of us to remember our deployed service members around the world right now. Especially our army teammates who remained deployed after losing their friends and teammates this past weekend. I again ask all of us here in the senate and across the american people to never forget our fallen and their families who continue to show us their courage, tenacity, grit to the nation looks like.
▶ 1:09:27Chair Collins: Thank you, general. Secretary rollins?
▶ 1:09:33Sec. Rollins: Thank you very much. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. Let me begin with the bottom line up front. The united states department of agriculture is joining today the united states department of war in -- for american flourishing. After all, defending america's ability to feed and fuel and clothe herself is defending america.
▶ 1:10:08Sec. Rollins: Full stop. We built farms and ranches and transportation that fed not only america but the world, too. For a long time, that prosperity made america strong and made america safe. But across the past 100 years and especially across the last administration, we took that source of strength in war and peace, our farms and ranches in the communities that surrounded them, and we hollowed them out.
▶ 1:10:35Sec. Rollins: We made them we can we put them on the precipice of decline and extinction. We sent our food production overseas. In fact, 2023 was for the first time a significant net importer of our food for america and in so doing, we replaced american production with massive amounts of imports.
▶ 1:10:59Sec. Rollins: We allowed and even encouraged the consolidation of agriculture , seed production, processing, fertilizer, and beyond into massive industries at scale. Today, nearly 85% of our meatpacking capacity is controlled by just four companies including two that are foreign-owned.
▶ 1:11:22Sec. Rollins: Additionally, our largest pork company in america is owned by a chinese company. Four fertilizers -- four fertilizer companies represent 70 8% of the production versus just a couple of decades ago. That was in the dozens. And two seed companies now produce more than 50% of the seed for america. These are national security implications.
▶ 1:11:50Sec. Rollins: When president trump returns to office, america's farm economy faced one of the most difficult economic environments in decades . Between 2020 and 2025, the cost of seed rose 19%. Crop protection rose 30%. Fertilizer rose over 50%, fuel and oil's rose nearly 33%. Electricity, 36%, and repair and maintenance, 27%. As these costs client, commodity prices plummeted.
▶ 1:12:19Sec. Rollins: Farm income fell by more than $90 billion from 2023 to 2024, representing one of the largest single year declines in history. At the same time, producers saw not one new trade deal across the world. Resulting in an unprecedented $50 billion agricultural trade deficit. American farmers deserve better and our national security now demands it.
▶ 1:12:46Sec. Rollins: As long as we are beholden to foreign and even hostile countries for our food and fuel, our freedom is in jeopardy. Since my first day at usda, we have been committed to addressing this crisis head-on.
▶ 1:13:01Sec. Rollins: In addition to implementing the historic working families tax cuts, thanks to so many in this room who worked so hard, moving $40 billion in disaster and economic assistance to producers across the country, securing 19 new trade deals and decreasing that $50 billion agricultural trade deficit, in one year by 42%. This year, our corn exports are expected to be at a record-breaking 35%. Ethanol up 11%.
▶ 1:13:31Sec. Rollins: Dairy up 15% and tree nuts up 11%. We are making progress but we have a ways to go. The administrator has secured the strongest renewable fuel standard volumes in history and the president continues to support the e-15 for our domestic markets.
▶ 1:13:50Sec. Rollins: We have led robust responses to animal health threats and have reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens and partnered with producers to strengthen the domestic demand for american agriculture. These are nesting reforms and will change the trajectory of american agriculture for the future. The trade agreements will take time to fully execute and generate even more exports.
▶ 1:14:17Sec. Rollins: The biofuel investments take time to increase the demand for american crops although we are already seeing a 10% increase. It is just an announcement a month ago and of course are showing facilities like fertilizer will continue to take some time to build out what we are confident that the direction of american agriculture is changing for the better but many producers continue to face economic pressure as we build that economic infrastructure out, and specialty crop growers across the northeast,
▶ 1:14:48Sec. Rollins: Mid-atlantic, pacific northwest, and florida suffered devastating losses this past winter. Producers across the plains continue recovering from catastrophic wildfire and events occurring while many operations are still working to catch up financially.
▶ 1:15:03Sec. Rollins: That is why our proposed -- proposal includes $10 billion in temporary economic assistance for 2026 row crop and specialty crop producers and includes $1.1 billion to help producers recover from catastrophic freeze losses suffered this past winter.
▶ 1:15:22Sec. Rollins: Congress has taken similar c1 congress has taken action and we are a of that but most recently with the disaster relief aid with the hurricane seasons. I want to be 100% clear as I close that for the sick of national security, american existence, and the american future, we must in the long end of the system that has grown up like a weed and strangled the american farmland and food production.
▶ 1:15:52Sec. Rollins: Farmers want to farm for their products, not for a government check. They want to be free from dependency and free to innovate. We know what happens when they are able to do that. They build and feed of the greatest republic in the history of man. When they aren't, we know the danger we are in today. That is why the supplemental is so important. It provides a bridge and extend a hand to americans who needed.
▶ 1:16:17Sec. Rollins: It buys the nation the security we need and advise us time to deconstruct and then reconstruct a new system, putting our farmers and ranchers first, and to restore the system that originally made america great. For our farmers, the defense of american freedom continues. They only asked to be free to fight. Thank you so much.
▶ 1:16:39Chair Collins: Thank you for your testimony. We will now begin with questions for our witnesses. As you can see, we have a very full attendance of committee members today. I would ask that all of our colleagues please keep track of the clock and stay within the allotted five-minute question time. That, let may begin.
▶ 1:17:05Chair Collins: Secretary hegseth, general caine, members on both sides of the aisle have questions about the authorization strategy objectives and conduct of operations in the middle east.
▶ 1:17:19Chair Collins: Regardless of our different views, the fact remains that there are must-pay bills and urgent requirements facing the department that affect the ability of our military to deter and defend against potential aggression worldwide.
▶ 1:17:42Chair Collins: Portions of the supplemental request go toward paying these bills and are necessary to restore readiness, repair and replace battle damage to aircraft ships or bases, and address urgent munitions challenges. I understand and I'm told that some military services face near-term solvency challenges.
▶ 1:18:10Chair Collins: What will be the impact on our troops if additional funding is not provided? Are there military exercises, for example, that are at risk of cancellation? What message would we be sending to the world? Secretary hegseth, either your o general caine.
▶ 1:18:36Sec. Hegseth: Chairwoman, I very much appreciate that question, because it is connected to the real world realities of this budget cycle. There is training, 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. And yes, some of that has to do with the current budget cycle and how things come together. But we are a department that for four years met funding shortfalls under the previous administration.
▶ 1:19:07Sec. Hegseth: It was not a priority to fund the department of defense under joe biden. And it took munitions -- there were five supplementals out of this committee that took munitions one for sent them to ukraine and tried to replace them with the same bureaucratic process that was too slow and did not replace them in real time. And then there were threats that were ignored around the world. So we are looking at a lot of negligence and a lot of deferred maintenance that this department is having to catch up on. That is what I call this a generational investment. It truly is.
▶ 1:19:39Sec. Hegseth: This is a $1.5 trillion budget with the supplement being part of it is how we catch up and get ahead and ensure in the process we are putting soldiers and sailors and airmen first, marines and guardians, that pay increases that got because recruiting is at historic levels, fully funded. Rather than trying to play catch up and make sure we are not losing training, we should be ahead of that curve, and that is where we think $1.5 trillion can get us.
▶ 1:20:02Chair Collins: Thank you. Senator caine -- I called you senator -- general caine, I'm going to ask you to respond for the record because in my remaining time I want to ask secretary mullin's a question--secretary rollins a question.
▶ 1:20:21Chair Collins: As we heard from the previous panel, our country has many outstanding recovery needs from disasters and other related -- weather-related events over the past two years. As this chart shows, and this is a truck from your department, m--chart from your department, many have unmet weather-related agricultural losses.
▶ 1:20:46Chair Collins: In maine, many of our producers are struggling amid a combination of market volatility and disaster conditions last year, which included excessive rainfall in the spring, followed by a severe drought. They need relief. Yet the administration's supplemental request does not include funding to address these recovery needs.
▶ 1:21:13Chair Collins: It does have $1.1 billion to help florida agricultural producers rebound from the severe freeze this past winter, but nothing for prior disasters in other states. Can you explain usda's thinking behind focusing your request just on the 2026 freeze rather than on the 2025 disaster
▶ 1:21:43Chair Collins: Declarations that he made?-- o declarations that he made?-- you made.
▶ 1:21:48Sec. Rollins: Yes, senator, thank you for that question. Obviously the discussions that went on at omb and with our teams continue, but what I will say is we are obviously 100% in support of any sort of disaster relief program for our farmers, whether it is hurricane, tornado, drought, freeze, etc.
▶ 1:22:10Sec. Rollins: Look forward to working with you on that and specifically understanding the larger context here, that there is a lot of farmers, a lot of producers who are really hurting, not just in florida and not just from the freeze. It is important that we work together to solve for that.
▶ 1:22:23Chair Collins: Thank you. Senator murray.
▶ 1:22:26Sen. Murray: Thank you, chair collins. Secretary hegseth, your department received 150 billion dollars last year in the republicans' big beautiful bill. He received a record $839 billion for fiscal year 2026, more money than you asked for last year. Combined, that is a truly dollar budget for the year. --trillion dollars budget for the year. As I mentioned, you have yet to spend half the reconciliation cost.
▶ 1:22:56Sen. Murray: Despite that, you are here today asking for tens of billions of dollars more for things you've already asked for in your fy27 request or have nothing to do with iran. This administration has tried to sell this as an emergency request, but it may be better understood as an attempt to skirt the normal appropriations process. Here are just a few of the things requested in this iran supplemental. $800 million for the national guard to patrol D.C. even longer.
▶ 1:23:25Sen. Murray: Over $1 billion for the army to patrol the southern border, which is dhs's job. $900 million to support the administration's illegal boat strikes in the caribbean. Over $18 billion for munitions, which you have already requested in your fy27 budget request. And $1.7 billion to pay for your decision to recruit more people than the services need, which was not contemplated by the fy27 funding bill congress recently passed.
▶ 1:23:54Sen. Murray: Now, you have already submitted of reprogramming request on this that our subcommittee is considering now, which underscores the point I made in my opening remarks that the problem is not a lack of money, but poor planning. So I'll be blunt, the truth is your request does not make a lot of sense. So let me ask you a simple question. Why exactly are billions of dollars more for the national guard in this administration's illegal strikes in the caribbean urgently needed for the iran war?
▶ 1:24:22Sec. Hegseth: Well, senator, I wouldn't of course agree with your characterization, but why this kind of spending is needed is because of the gross negligence and neglect of the biden administration. They ran it like a bureaucracy, abandon our strength posture around the world. We are having to reestablish deterrence. You mentioned the end strength in numbers and I will acknowledge we are ahead of schedule on end strength and recruiting.
▶ 1:24:51Sec. Hegseth: 6000 the army, 4000 in the air force. Under president trump there has been record and historic over 30-year recruiting records and set our departments since he won the election because the american people did not want to sign up for what joe biden was providing --
▶ 1:25:04Sen. Murray: Well --
▶ 1:25:05Sec. Hegseth: And they want to sign up for what president trump is doing in his leadership. Those are good problems to have and we needed to fund and a reflection of momentum and this department will continue --
▶ 1:25:15Sen. Murray: My point is that a lot of this request does not feel like an emergency. Let me move on. Secretary hegseth, like most americans I've had a lot of trouble following this administration's contradictory statements about the war. On april 8, you said, "their missile program is functionally destroyed, launchers, production facilities, and existing stockpiles depleted and decimated almost completely ineffective." Mr. secretary, iran has been firing at U.S.
▶ 1:25:43Sen. Murray: Military bases in the region and ships for the last week. How is it possible if their capabilities were "functionally destroyed" three months earlier, as you claim, for them to be doing this now?
▶ 1:25:57Sec. Hegseth: Senator, iran is that the weakest point militarily it has ever been in in the past decade. Maybe in 47 years, as they've gathered effectively a temur army. That terror army was built to create conventional cuba police in pursuit of nuclear weapons, which means thousands of ballistics missiles khamenei which we have destroyed from others of which we have just ballistics missiles, which we have destroyed -- missiles, which we have destroyed, others
▶ 1:26:28Sec. Hegseth: Of which -- the damage we have done over the course of the series of operations has put them in the worst place they've ever --
▶ 1:26:34Sen. Murray: Let me move on. On may 5 you claimed that iran does not control the strait and that there was a "powerful red, white, and blue dome over the strait." if that was true, how did iran slow traffic in the strait to a trickle last week?
▶ 1:26:54Sec. Hegseth: We push for peace million barrels of oil under the nose of iran, it was more effective to do so quietly then to do so publicly. We have been in control of moving traffic through there for quite some time. Will they retain the ability to recklessly shoot a commercial shipping -- that is what happened, we had a cease-fire --
▶ 1:27:17Sen. Murray: You also said at the same press conference, I'm going to quote you -- you urged iran to "let innocent ships pass freely. These international waters belong to all nations, not to iran to tax, toll, or control." last week president trump said the U.S. would charge a 20% toll. Based on your opposition to tolls, did you talk to president out of that idea, or did someone else?
▶ 1:27:47Sec. Hegseth: Well, iran is not charging tolls on their shooting at ships.
▶ 1:27:51Sen. Murray: Trump said he wanted to charge a 20% toll.
▶ 1:27:53Sec. Hegseth: We have a blockade of all iranian ships and iranian ports and it is effective.
▶ 1:28:00Sen. Murray: My time is up.
▶ 1:28:02Chair Collins: Senator murkowski.
▶ 1:28:05Sen. Murkowski: Thank you, madam chairman, and thank you all for being here. Challenging times, we all recognize that could secretary hegseth, just specific to iran authorization, the administration has made the case that the action in iran follows under the president's article two authorities, and we can have disagreement, reasonable people can disagree about the boundaries of the presidential war powers and have for a long
▶ 1:28:36Sen. Murkowski: Period of time. But I look at the war powers resolution, and it is not ambiguous. It requires the president to terminate hostilities within 60 days, absent congressional authorization. So hostilities began february 28. May 1, congress was informed that hostilities had ended. But yet despite the fact that hostilities had ended, we were still seeing sailors being fired upon, still activity then.
▶ 1:29:07Sen. Murkowski: In june, mou is signed to preserve the cease-fire. Negotiations continued. That mou has collapsed, and we are seeing the resumed attacks in the straits of hormuz. On july 10, the administration sends congress a new work hours notification--a new work hours notification, effectively starting the 60-day clock again.
▶ 1:29:33Sen. Murkowski: I'm concerned about this sequence because you have a situation where the claim essentially allows the president to extinguish the war powers clock just at the moment it becomes legally inconvenient through declaration of temporary cease-fire, that it is reset, avoiding the congressional authorization that the constitution requires and the war powers intends. We had an opportunity in previous appropriations hearings for me to ask if you felt the administration had all the authority that it needed.
▶ 1:30:05Sen. Murkowski: You indicated at that time that, no, additional authority was not needed. Are you still -- is the administration still taking that position about needing no authorization from congress at this time?
▶ 1:30:18Sec. Hegseth: Senator, I know there is a long, long-standing legal debate on this particular topic. We certainly as a department share the position of the white house that we have all the authorities necessary at this moment.
▶ 1:30:31Sen. Murkowski: So let me do a follow on. In the clinton administration, this is 1999, there was an operation that was launched, operation -- authorization that was sought. President clinton notified congress under the war powers resolution.
▶ 1:30:56Sen. Murkowski: And then sent subsequent to that congress and emergency supplemental funding request, about $6 billion to cover the cost of kosovo operations. Congress then passed a supplemental package that recovered the president's request, plus additional military funding. But congress never passed standalone authorization for use of military force in kosovo.
▶ 1:31:25Sen. Murkowski: When the war powers clock was set to run out in may of 1999, the clinton justice department's office of legal counsel issued an opinion holding that the supplemental appropriation itself passed without any authorizing language, satisfied the war powers resolution requirement.
▶ 1:31:46Sen. Murkowski: So is the department looking to that or intending to rely on that same reasoning that funding alone can substitute for explicit congressional authorization?
▶ 1:31:58Sec. Hegseth: Senator, I would have to defer to our legal department and we will get back to you with our views on that. As of right now, we think standalone article ii authorities exist for us to conduct its operation on behalf of the american people, that the president had those authorities, and seeking this funding is important in pursuit of that. I would not conduct without consulting our legal folks first.
▶ 1:32:25Sen. Murkowski: In my remaining time let me turn to you, secretary rollins. I appreciate that you acknowledge that fishermen are farmers of the sea. I don't know whether you are aware if any fisherman will be eligible for the supplemental funding. They, too, have faced many of the same challenges that our farmers have with high fuel costs, the impact from tariffs, disasters we have seen. In the 15 seconds remaining, any help for our fishermen?
▶ 1:32:55Sec. Rollins: I remember having the conversation with you when going through the process and my commitment to you and senator collins and others across the aisle was that it is time for usda to recognize our fishermen as farmers of the sea. That is never happened before. We have an office as usda focused on fishermen. As you move forward with a supplemental, the conversation is up to you all what that looks like, but very supportive of treating our fishermen similarly to the rest of our farmers.
▶ 1:33:23Sen. Murkowski: Thank you, madam chair.
▶ 1:33:26Chair Collins: Thank you. Senator durbin.
▶ 1:33:29Sen. Durbin: Mr. secretary, I would like you to help me reconcile some numbers. It is my understanding that the supplemental funding request is $87.6 billion. Most of the funding, 67 billion dollars, is for the department of defense. Yet we are told the department of defense has $75 billion in un obligated funding from last year's reconciliation package. Is that true?
▶ 1:33:57Sec. Hegseth: Roughly correct numbers, yes.
▶ 1:34:01Sen. Durbin: So you left some change on the dresser before you prepare to come to this hearing. What is going to happen to that $75 billion?
▶ 1:34:09Sec. Hegseth: That $75 billion, there are plans and designs on that, part of the rebuild of our military that had to be undertaken. The one big beautiful bill gave us specific avenues, but I would have to give you the exact numbers --
▶ 1:34:20Sen. Durbin: Do they have to do with the war in iran?
▶ 1:34:22Sec. Hegseth: No, this is rebuilding a military from what was not funded in the past under the biden administration. 2020 61 big beautiful bill, which helped move the president's priorities like golden dawn for america and away from the woke priorities that the biden administration was pursuing, all the things that the president wanted us to focus on. Shipbuilding, hypersonics. The biden administration ignored hypersonic's. They decided to pretend that technology didn't exist.
▶ 1:34:53Sec. Hegseth: I don't know what lloyd austin did for four years. I really don't. The amount of neglect, the amount of stale thinking and bureaucracy is staggering. The one big beautiful bill --
▶ 1:35:03Sen. Durbin: Let me interrupt your speech for a minute, Mr. secretary. It is my turn to ask questions. I've been listening patiently while you made your presentation. You estimated at one point that the cost of war in iran was $29 billion. But then added a caveat that there was a replacement munitions, for example. Do you have an estimate for what the war has cost us in the fifth month of the first year of this war in iran?
▶ 1:35:29Sec. Hegseth: Senator, the estimate we have as of today's $37.5 billion.
▶ 1:35:34Sen. Durbin: And is the current activity, which we have been told about, the exchange of fire back and forth in iran, an indication that the number is going to go up in the months ahead?
▶ 1:35:45Sec. Hegseth: Some of that number captures additional pay and other that we anticipate through the fiscal year. Some of that anticipates what will be going out in the future as well.
▶ 1:35:55Sen. Durbin: So the new numbers what?
▶ 1:35:57Sec. Hegseth: $37.5 billion.
▶ 1:36:00Sen. Durbin: That represents the cost of the war through what period of time?
▶ 1:36:06Sec. Hegseth: Through now for certain aspects of it but on m another anticipateds cost through september 30, senator.
▶ 1:36:17Sen. Durbin: General caine, let me ask you a question. I join to send it is here and met with president zelenskyy in--senators here and met with president zelenskyy in turkey during the nato summit. He was very explicit in terms of what he needed to win. He feels the momentum in ukraine is moving to his side, that he is putting a foot forward instead of back. Is that your feeling?
▶ 1:36:42Gen. Caine: Sir, I think the pressure that ukraine is putting on russia is substantive at this point.
▶ 1:36:49Sen. Durbin: Do you acknowledge his request that we help them with air defenses as a high priority?
▶ 1:36:55Gen. Caine: Sir, I know he has made the request. Whether or not that moves forward is always a debate at our civilian leadership. I am aware of that request.
▶ 1:37:05Sen. Durbin: Are you aware of the fact that we appropriated and the president signed into law $400 billion in supplemental funding for ukraine, including money for advances? --air defenses?
▶ 1:37:15Gen. Caine: I am, sir.
▶ 1:37:17Sen. Durbin: Are you are aware that the administration has informed us that that money will not be available in many aspects until the next president is in office?
▶ 1:37:26Gen. Caine: Sir, I'm not aware of that. My understanding is that capital had been allocated, but I will have to defer to mike civilian leaders could-- my civilian leaders.
▶ 1:37:38Sen. Durbin: I'm sorry to tell you that they plan to spend that money in fiscal year 2029 and the new president, whoever it may be, will make that decision. If you talk about air defenses and momentum on the side of zelenskyy, what impact will that have if we cannot provide this for three years?
▶ 1:37:54Gen. Caine: Sir, I want to highlight the incredible work that the ukraine industrial base is doing as they scale their own capabilities. It ranges from their surface-to-air capabilities to their air-to-air capabilities. We had the first air-to-air ukrainian 16 shoot a russian fighter. Their ability to scale the defense has come a long way over the past couple of years, with the help and assistance of many.
▶ 1:38:21Sen. Durbin: General, thank you for your service to the country. I'm sorry for our losses. I believe 17 servicemen have given their lives in iran so far, and hundreds have been injured. We should acknowledge that fact. Let me also say that we are in a moment in history where we can win the war in ukraine. That victory would be critically important for those people who fought for nearly four years against the odds and proving they can put putin back on his heels.
▶ 1:38:49Sen. Durbin: But instead of finding the money that they need now for air defenses, we are putting more money into this exchange with iran, it were of choice, which we never should've entered-- war of choice which we never should've entered. Thank you, general.
▶ 1:39:01Chair Collins: Senator moran.
▶ 1:39:03Sen. Moran: Thank you very much let me begin with a statement to you, secretary rollins. Thank you for your leadership, thank you for your attention to disaster assistance. Usually significant and important in many states -- usually significant and important in many states represented here but across the country. It is challenging circumstances as I've seen farmers in my time at representing them in the united states congress.
▶ 1:39:30Sen. Moran: And I appreciate my colleague senator rounds for making that case today. I appreciate the efforts by senator boozman, chairman of the ag committee, senator rounds, his vice chairman shaheen for their efforts on this committee for that effort. Secretary hegseth, let me ask you about your recent visit to 101st airborne division. You saw the mv 75 cheyenne.
▶ 1:39:55Sen. Moran: You saw it firsthand on her from soldiers, as I understand it, about the next generation capabilities and how they will transform the way we fight. The cheyenne has broken through and appears to be the acquisition bureaucracy to deliver capability for our war fighting much faster than it otherwise would have happened.
▶ 1:40:16Sen. Moran: As you look across acquisition, we're here talking about appropriations, but the ultimate success we will have in defending our country is putting that money to work as quickly as possible. As you look at acquisition, what would you tell me we learned from the cheyenne? Is it a model how the department can -- it intends to field the next generation of capacity?
▶ 1:40:41Sen. Moran: Going forward, what does the program need from this committee to meet both the schedule and the necessity of its capabilities?
▶ 1:40:48Sec. Hegseth: Senator, I appreciate the question. I think it is one of the untold stories about apartment, how we try to revolutionize the speed and scale of new acquisitions procurement. Some of it through munitions and ensuring that companies pay for building there on factories and their own his family lines so that we are saved--own assembly lines so we are saving billions of taxpayers and when you invest in something with iran money, you want to see it succeed ahead of schedule--with your own money, you want to see it succeed ahead of schedule and on time.
▶ 1:41:18Sec. Hegseth: New entrants make high cost and low cost capabilities. I think in particular on the cheyenne and the blackhawk and the replacement, the cap that some have-- gap that some of identified could exist based on hesitation on speed and reckless been--and replacement exists because of an austerity mindset that was back to the biden administration of divest to invest. You end up in device think in certain systems like the black--to vesting insurgent systems like the blackhawk.
▶ 1:41:49Sec. Hegseth: What we are finding in the supplemental and this budget is the ability to do both, making sure that the systems we rely on on the battlefield now are delivered and the new entrance we will need for long-range fight to deliver -- to be more survivable in contested environments -- what you were talking about, when I had a chance to see it, soldiers were excited to be in it because it gives greater advantage in the future. When you allow new entrants with all the right incentives, those things happen.
▶ 1:42:19Sen. Moran: Will that take place -- you may have just said this, but will that take place in this circumstance of the cheyenne
▶ 1:42:27Backup Sec. Hegseth: I believe that because of the policies of this administration it is likely to do so. Just like to be 21 and 47-- b -21, f-47, munitions that would've taken years and used to get into development, we are moving them by in some cases years. We are getting them to work fighters who need them now and not held open bureaucracy in this town.
▶ 1:42:53Sen. Moran: Let me turn to you, general caine. The department is requesting a significant supplemental for operational demands. Our adversaries are watching how we resource this moment. Beijing, moscow, tehran are all increasingly coordinating their activities and intelligence. In your judgment, do you believe our adversaries viewed this moment as an opportunity to exploit U.S. commitments elsewhere?
▶ 1:43:25Sen. Moran: How does the supplemental ensure our deterrence posture and commitments to allies remain credible in every theater all at once?
▶ 1:43:31Gen. Caine: Sir, thanks for the question. In my job, it is t in my job, it is to look across the globe and the range of trade-offs. We are the strongest military in the world. Our adversaries still fear america's ability to project power at the time and place of our choosing.
▶ 1:43:49Gen. Caine: There is no doubt that they are aligning, as I've said before, I think this supplemental and whatever funding structure congress working with the executive branch decides to structure and give us the capital, we will use the capital to ensure we sustain that.
▶ 1:44:07Sen. Moran: You are ensuring that the supplemental and for their efforts will reduce the risk to our nation and its national security --
▶ 1:44:15Gen. Caine: I view this -- and I've spoken to some of you on the phone leading up to this -- I view this as future investments to buy down risk, similar to what marshall thought through in the heady days in 1940 when they need to invest capital early to deliver scale is an opportunity that I hope we don't miss.
▶ 1:44:36Sen. Moran: General, thank you. Thank you, chairwoman.
▶ 1:44:40Chair Collins: Senator reed.
▶ 1:44:43Sen. Reed: Secretary rollins, I want to reiterate a point that senator padilla made. We have $10 million--$10 billion in this request for midwestern farmers suffering because of the interruption of fuel and fertilizer because of president trump's more, unauthorized -- present trump's war, unauthorized war. Yet many states, blue states particularly, have submitted requests.
▶ 1:45:13Sen. Reed: In february we had the worst snowstorm in our recent history and we have been denied by the president. You look at the numbers, 20% of blue states seem to get approved and about 80% of red states. I am making a point, asking a question. This is unfair. Thank you.
▶ 1:45:33Sen. Reed: Secretary hegseth, on february 28 wen yu initiated this war without authorization of congress, the straits of hormuz was open and providing fuel supplies for the whole world. Now they are closed effectively, impacting globally the price of oil and the economies of the whole world. But the department of defense has been planning for potential operations against iran for many, many years.
▶ 1:46:01Sen. Reed: And one of their obvious assumptions was that the strait of hormuz could be closed. We you unaware of that?--were you unaware of that?
▶ 1:46:11Sec. Hegseth: Senator, you are correct, nobody plans more and looks at more contingencies than our department. And so if was undertaking an historic effort like this of this scope and scale, of course the strait of hormuz was front and center in every aspect of that. Hence why one of our key objectives was to sink the entirety of iran's navy, which is conventional navy was sunk. You can't get rid of everything of fast boat and machine gun or every single coastal cruise missile.
▶ 1:46:40Sec. Hegseth: We acknowledge that if the state decided to become a terror state shooting at commercial shipping, that would be an ongoing and uncontested part of --
▶ 1:46:50Sen. Moran: Excuse me. You have been aware that the strait of hormuz could be closed and obviously sinking their ships has not affected their ability to effectively close the strait.
▶ 1:47:02Sec. Hegseth: We had U.S. boats that surrender to iranian ships under the biden administration. Their navy was --
▶ 1:47:09Sen. Moran: , wait a minute we are talking about the will --
▶ 1:47:13Sen. Reed: Wait a minute, we are talking about the where you started. There was no conflict can we were not losing personnel as a result of iranian actions. Your fall back to the biden administration is just a very, very obvious excuse for what I described as gross negligence.
▶ 1:47:40Sen. Reed: You did not inform the president that we would be in a situation where the strait of hormuz could be effectively closed, oil prices could surge, and effectively the iranians could maintain their ability to strike back, as they are right now. They just killed some of our servicemen this past weekend.
▶ 1:47:56Sec. Hegseth: This battlefield and all the dynamics of it, of which the chairman and I are responsible for ensuring the president understands every branch of what could happen, and we did, the fact that those contingencies were part of the possibility and we understood that is all the more reason why president trump deserves the kind of praise you should get for undertaking this effort, having the courage to ensure that crazy islamists cannot have a nuclear weapon to hold us at issue. He has been willing to do that regardless --
▶ 1:48:25Sen. Reed: So he should be praised for starting a war without authority, creating a situation in which the world economies suffering through endlessly, we have to have extra money for our farmers, and we have no how come, at least no realistic outcome insight. Let me switch to general caine. These airstrikes have not yet deterred and defeated the iranians. Do you think airstrikes alone will do that?
▶ 1:48:55Gen. Caine: Sir, I think academically as you look across the totality of history, airpower has got limits. We always have to be mindful of those. I think americans' area of exclusivity is when we bring the totality of the diplomatic informational, economic, and compare that with the military, and there is a lot of that work going on.
▶ 1:49:19Sen. Reed: Militarily the next step would be escalation with ground combat. Do you anticipate that escalation?
▶ 1:49:27Gen. Caine: Sir, it would be unhelpful of me to opine on hypotheticals. We can always develop an unbelievable amount of options and the associated risks, and my main job is to ensure that leaders understand those options and risks.
▶ 1:49:40Sen. Reed: If you employed ground troops -- I would assume it would be the first stage. Are you prepared for an extended guerrilla war?
▶ 1:49:51Gen. Caine: Sir, with all due respect, it would be unhelpful for me to opine on hypothetical situations, on whatever decisions the president may or may not take in the future.
▶ 1:50:01Sen. Reed: Have you advised of the president that ground combat would be very expensive and the lives of our soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, and could lead to an extended unconventional war in an area? I don't see the iranians throwing their hands up and saying welcome to iran.
▶ 1:50:25Gen. Caine: Heh -- senator, I always advise the president on a range of military options and the risks contained within that. But I have to keep my military advice to the present private, sir.
▶ 1:50:41Sen. Reed: Well, thank you.
▶ 1:50:43Chair Collins: Senator hoeven.
▶ 1:50:46Sen. Hoeven: Secretary rollins, I want to thank president trump and you for including form bridge assistance in the supplemental request. I know you have worked very hard to get it included and I want to thank you and your whole department for your work on it and for the vital support of our farmers and ranchers. What I want ask you about his crop insurance. The number one measurement tool our farmers have is crop insurance.
▶ 1:51:16Sen. Hoeven: The option is critically important. It covers 67 million acres, 67 million acres of farmland in this country. It was decommissioned, and we need to get reinstated. You and I worked very hard on this. Please update me on where we are in terms of getting that option for crop insurance reinstated.
▶ 1:51:39Sec. Rollins: We are 100% supportive of that and are looking forward to execute that option. Thank you for your leadership on that, senator.
▶ 1:51:47Sen. Hoeven: Thank you for your support. Also, assistant secretary for his support. It's very impactful, very important, and will make a big difference for our performance right now. Sec. Hegseth, our measurement-- are russia and china helping iran? If so, how?
▶ 1:52:11Sec. Hegseth: Senator, as the chairman alluded to, there is definitely adversary alignment, attempts to do so. And there are many ways we deter that, some of which -- and the depth and extent of it remain classified and it should. But there are ways in which both of those countries are at different levels enabling some of the things iran is doing, yes .
▶ 1:52:38Sen. Hoeven: General caine, would you like to add?
▶ 1:52:42Gen. Caine: Sir, I would rather not opine on the specifics because that would divulge what we know, and I never want the adversary to know what I know. I just want to know it.
▶ 1:52:54Sen. Hoeven: Hopefully we will get a chance to do that.
▶ 1:52:57Gen. Caine: Yes, sir, happy to do that --
▶ 1:53:00Sen. Hoeven: This relates both to the phonic, but also how we achieve our objectives with iran. Starting with you, secretary, can we get to the point -- we are seeing continued, I think, improvement and progress on this, but essentially where -- hopefully our allies, they need to step in there with us -- but when we get to the point where we can operate in the strait of hormuz but keep iran blockaded.
▶ 1:53:31Sen. Hoeven: We are continuing to get better at that. They will never do anything they said they were going to do. They have proven that over and over. But if we can do that effectively and keep the pressure on and achieve our objectives, tell us where we are in getting at accomplished.
▶ 1:53:46Sec. Hegseth: Senator, that's a really good point, that is effectively what we did to create a pressure that led to the circumstances of the mou, which was running a route -- and we did it covertly in cooperation with golf countries and others who were willing to take some of the risk with the protection and maintain the blockade. Oil is coming in and out, oil prices are coming down, but our blockade is staying and we are mentioning pressure on iran. That is something we continue to do.
▶ 1:54:14Sec. Hegseth: With the mou, iran said we won't shoot at shipping and then the irgc decided to turn around and shoot a commercial shipping again. The president, as he should, cannot tolerate that. You shoot add chips can we will shoot you overwhelmingly---you shoot at ships, we will shoot you overwhelmingly, which we have done for the 10th consecutive evening. Have blockade --our blockade has been reimposed and is effectively impenetrable.
▶ 1:54:46Sec. Hegseth: We seized a ship inside the arabian gulf as well. There is a lot of levers we can pull. And ultimately a lot of the strike that general cooper and centcom have been undertaking are taking iran's ability to see in the strait of hormuz.
▶ 1:55:04Sen. Hoeven: That is what this funding is about this is about making sure that we and our allies can operate in the strait of hormuz, which brings down prices for every single american consumer, and that we force iran to meet our objectives. Isn't that what this package is all about?
▶ 1:55:17Sec. Hegseth: This is a peace through strength package. That is what $1.5 trillion has always been about, a generational investment -- as the chairman alluded to, a step change moment. We need to do it at speed and skill with autonomy, ai, exquisite high cost and low cost, to be ahead and stay at so you are not just able to do what we need to do in the strait of hormuz, but deter adversaries like russia and china from getting involved.
▶ 1:55:45Sen. Hoeven: General caine, any follow-up you would like?
▶ 1:55:49Gen. Caine: Sir, I wouldn't have anything to add.
▶ 1:55:52Sen. Hoeven: Thank you, and thank you to all of her men and women in uniform. --our men and women in uniform. We appreciate them so much.
▶ 1:56:00Chair Collins: Senator shaheen.
▶ 1:56:02Sen. Shaheen: Secondary hegseth, since you last testify before this committee, we received the spending plan for the $400 million in 26 appropriation for ukraine security assistance. The spending was passed in january, and now there are only three months left in this fiscal year.
▶ 1:56:23Sen. Shaheen: While I appreciate that we now see what most of the funding is intended for, I just heard from the ceo of one of the manufacturers of the defense articles that are contained in the expanded p-- spend plan that they not only have not received funding, but they have not received the contract. When are we going to see a contract for those defense articles that are contained in the spend plan for iraq? I'm sorry, for ukraine?
▶ 1:56:53Sec. Hegseth: Senator, I will have to get back to you for the specifics on the timeline and I will talk to a policy shop on that.
▶ 1:57:02Sen. Hoeven: You told this committee that you release that half of the $150 billion in reconciliation funding. If you still have $75 billion available, why are you asking the american people to absorb the cost of the war they don't support, instead of asking for transfer authority for unspent reconciliation funding, especially if you can't even get $400 million in ukraine funding out the door?
▶ 1:57:24Sec. Hegseth: As I mentioned earlier, senator, that money from the one big beautiful bill is otherwise allocated to the rebuilding of our military with priorities of the president like a golden dome for america and hypersonics ammunitions investments we made upfront as we try to adjust the biden budget into an america first budget. Reallocating is robbing peter to pay paul --
▶ 1:57:46Sen. Hoeven: But my point is if you can't -- but my point is if you can't spend it on a timeline that makes sense, why do you need to come back and ask for more money ? Wouldn't it be better to spend money you already have? One of the things I noted -- at least I think the supplemental does include funding to repair damage to our bases or our military infrastructure in the region. I have not heard that we have gotten the full extent of any of those damage estimates.
▶ 1:58:18Sen. Hoeven: Should we expect another request to address that military construction cost? At what point do you stop asking americans to foot the bill for a war they don't support on top of an inflated budget request and billions in reconciliation funds you still haven't spent?
▶ 1:58:36Sec. Hegseth: Senator, I obsolete don't agree with your characterization of that.
▶ 1:58:40Sen. Shaheen: I appreciate that, but I want you to answer my question. I know you don't agree with my characterization and I don't agree with yours either.
▶ 1:58:49Sec. Hegseth: Well -- one of the reasons I take issue with that characterization is something senator durbin said when he talked about ukraine and winning. I preach it as much as anybody winning a war. But I sit in front of the committee that talks about wanting to win a war that has been going on for four years and strategic to fleet of a conflict that has been going on for four months to -- strategic defeat of a conflict that has been going on for performance to prevent iran from getting a nuclear bomb. Do you want radical islamists --
▶ 1:59:18Sen. Shaheen: I don't want to hear a speech because I have limited time. You can answer my question, that I will move-- can't answer my question, that I will move onto to my next question. Secretary rollins, the timber industry has been hard-hit, as you know, by trade wars, drought, wildfires, other natural disasters that are increasingly common.
▶ 1:59:40Sen. Shaheen: In new hampshire, which is the second most heavily forested state in the nation, one of the things we really need to come as you know, because we have had this conversation, is a research program and full service staffing on the ground. In a variety of ways, but particularly at barletta experimental forest. These small investments and staffing and sound management help make the forest economies healthier and more competitive.
▶ 2:00:10Sen. Shaheen: I very much appreciate your having staff visit bartlett last week with my staff and with staff from the governor's office. What can you commit to restoring-- but can you commit to restoring staff at bartlett and keeping facilities there open now that you have seen the critical nature of that research?
▶ 2:00:29Sec. Rollins: Why don't I follow up with you? I have not gotten a report from their visit so I would like to do that first. But you and I have been in a continuing conversation about that. The good news, there is no doubt our timber industry has been in distress and has been for a long time. The fact that we import 90% or something from other countries for our lumber needs is crazy. We are changing that. But the good news is we had more sold last year than any time in 30 years and this year we will exceed the target again.
▶ 2:01:00Sec. Rollins: You're making the right moves on this, but there is no doubt that research is important to that, as we discussed. I will follow up with our team and we can reconnect.
▶ 2:01:07Sen. Shaheen: Thank you, I appreciate that. As you pointed out, research is critical to ensuring that the timber economy continues to be successful.
▶ 2:01:15Chair Collins: Senator kennedy.
▶ 2:01:22Sen. Kennedy: Thank you, madam chair. Thank you all for being here today. General, in the war between russia and ukraine, who do we want to win?
▶ 2:01:36Gen. Caine: Sir, I want ukraine to win.
▶ 2:01:40Sen. Kennedy: Is russia america's friend?
▶ 2:01:44Gen. Caine: I'm sorry, I couldn't quite hear you.
▶ 2:01:47Sen. Kennedy: Is russia america's friend?
▶ 2:01:51Gen. Caine: I think that depends on your definition of friend. It is a complicated relationship. But no, I don't think they're our friends.
▶ 2:02:01Sen. Kennedy: Thank you. If we could cut off russia's cash flow, which depends substantially on its sale of oil, without help ukraine when? -- win?
▶ 2:02:23Gen. Caine: Militarily anytime you can restrict resources and cash flows against --
▶ 2:02:28Sen. Kennedy: General, I have so much respect for you, but I have so little time.
▶ 2:02:33Gen. Caine: Yes, sir, I will try to be briefer.
▶ 2:02:37Sen. Kennedy: Just give me six 16 dancers.-- succinct answers. It would help?
▶ 2:02:47Gen. Caine: Yes, sir.
▶ 2:02:49Sen. Kennedy: If we can stop people, entities, and countries from buying russia's oil, that would cut off its cash flow, wouldn't it?
▶ 2:02:58Gen. Caine: Yes, sir.
▶ 2:02:59Sen. Kennedy: We have a bill to do that, as I'm sure you are aware. We have the votes today to pass it. Overwhelmingly. I have also had an enormous respect and admiration that respect and admiration t for our majority leader, senator thune.
▶ 2:03:26Sen. Kennedy: But I hope everybody on this panel will today contact senator thune and ask him to bring that bill to the floor. We should vote on it at a minimum next week. Some of my colleagues, general, want america to just stop in iran.
▶ 2:03:55Sen. Kennedy: End the blockade, bring all of our warriors home. What would be the consequences of that, in your estimation?
▶ 2:04:09Gen. Caine: Sir, I think termination criteria is always a political decision. However, iss that iran will continue to be -- I assess that iran will continue to be a challenge moving forward --
▶ 2:04:23Sen. Kennedy: Will they put tolls on the strait?
▶ 2:04:26Gen. Caine: I don't know, sir, that is hypothetical --
▶ 2:04:30Sen. Kennedy: It is not hypothetical. We've got a blockade to stop them. I'm not asking you for -- I'm not trying to get you in trouble. I note yo= -- I know your advice to the president's private. But this is serious asw but this is serious as four heart attacks and a stroke. Now, what happens if we come home and finish of the blockade to the world?
▶ 2:05:00Gen. Caine: Iran has the potential to continue to be a trheat, and we will need to --
▶ 2:05:07Sen. Kennedy: Will they toll the strait?
▶ 2:05:11Gen. Caine: That is a hypothetical question and I don't know the answer to that.
▶ 2:05:15Sen. Kennedy: It's not hypothetical. It's not going to be hypothetical. You know that, and I do, too. I appreciate your discretion. But we are down to it. We need some hard answers and some straight talk. What will happen, pete?
▶ 2:05:33Sec. Hegseth: Senator, I would agree with the chairman that the likely outcome is they would try to impose their will on the waterways --
▶ 2:05:40Sen. Kennedy: For today to--
▶ 2:05:43Would They Toll It: ?
▶ 2:05:46Gen. Caine: Call it --
▶ 2:05:48Sec. Hegseth: Call it a toll, a fee, they would try to hold it.
▶ 2:05:53Sen. Kennedy: With they tried to commence to gain a nuclear warhead?
▶ 2:05:59Sec. Hegseth: Part of the reason president trump had the courage to do what he did with me hammers they did not give up their ambitions even though nuclear sites were obliterated.
▶ 2:06:09Sen. Kennedy: Guys, we need straight answers. We need straight answers. Do we have the ability to destroy whatever is underneath pickax mountain?
▶ 2:06:24Sec. Hegseth: A lot -- senator, a lot of our capabilities are classified, but if anybody in the world can reach anything on gods green earth, it is the united states military, the most powerful in the world. It is about options and trade-offs.
▶ 2:06:38Sen. Kennedy: I will take extra time because others got it. Secretary, our shrimpers farmers??
▶ 2:06:47Sec. Rollins: Absolutely, yes.
▶ 2:06:50Sen. Kennedy: Oyster harvesters farmers?
▶ 2:06:53Sec. Rollins: Yes.
▶ 2:06:54Sen. Kennedy: Are they having to compete with other countries that grow oysters and shrimp in the ditch and shoot them full of antibiotics?
▶ 2:07:03Sec. Rollins: 100% yes.
▶ 2:07:05Sen. Kennedy: If you eat too much of the foreign trip and oysters, you will grow an extra ear, won't you?
▶ 2:07:12Sec. Rollins: I'm not sure about that, but I know it's not good --
▶ 2:07:16Sen. Kennedy: Why aren't we inspecting the shrimp and oysters from abroad?
▶ 2:07:20Sec. Rollins: It goes much larger than that. Why are we importing so much from abroad, which goes to the president's trade agenda?
▶ 2:07:28Sen. Kennedy: I'm in big trouble.
▶ 2:07:30Chair Collins: Yes, you are. [laughter]
▶ 2:07:32Sen. Kennedy: Guys, we need straight answers. We are down to it.
▶ 2:07:37Chair Collins: Senator merkley.
▶ 2:07:39Sen. Merkley: Secretary rollins, appreciate your partnership on addressing several issues in oregon. I sent you information about a couple others and you responded and I appreciate a follow-up on the research service. Following up on the concern about in-kind contributions. I particularly need your help on the fire funding. I know you have indicated how important that is.
▶ 2:08:09Sen. Merkley: Where we stand now is that the senate seems hamstrung, they are seeking to have omb give a number on that. Various sources say the number is about $5 billion. I don't really care if it is 4.5 billion or 5.5 billion. The fact is that folks here, senators, are asking for a number from omb to go forward.
▶ 2:08:34Sen. Merkley: When we are looking at the fires right now in my home state, the epicenter of the highest risk in the country, can we get your help to get that number and move this process?
▶ 2:08:43Sec. Rollins: Yes, absolutely. It is of paramount importance, especially in the middle fire season right now.
▶ 2:08:50Sen. Merkley: Thank you so much. Chairman caine, I think there was a sense that the president expressed at the start of the war that the U.S. military power was overwhelming and would likely produce unconditional surrender quickly by iran. And that obviously hasn't happened.
▶ 2:09:15Sen. Merkley: Was it your opinion as well that you feel like our military force could produce an unconditional surrender in quick order?
▶ 2:09:22Gen. Caine: Sir, I won't with due respect--with due respect, I won't share my private advice to the president. What I will assure you and the american people as I will speak truth to power and offer an accurate assessment of what my assessment is, both our readiness, the plans and activities that might be undertaken, the associated risks, and the secondary and tertiary considerations that go with those opinions or options.
▶ 2:09:49Sen. Merkley: Thank you. So you feel like the various risks, that iran could close the strait despite the destruction of their navy, the possibility of assassinating the political leaders and military leaders, could produce a strengthened hardline and weaken reformers, that iran would have the ability to sustain its ability to attack sites throughout the middle east, that the initial requirements of the work would deplete our -- basically
▶ 2:10:20Sen. Merkley: High-end standoff munitions, that this could affect our relations with our allies? All those were factors well considered in this decision to go to war?
▶ 2:10:31Gen. Caine: As I said, I won't opine or share my --
▶ 2:10:36Sen. Merkley: I'm not asking about the president, I'm asking you. Did these become revelations as the war unfolded?
▶ 2:10:43Gen. Caine: Sir, my job is to understand all the considerations that go into the carefully considered use of military power.
▶ 2:10:49Sen. Merkley: Let me ask you this, then. I understand why you don't want to respond, but these are all massive risks that seem to be poorly weighed in the beginning of this misadventure. Currently there are reports that we have hit the desalination plant that provides water to about 20 villages, 10,000 people, and damage the desalination plant -- were these deliberate targets by the united states?
▶ 2:11:18Gen. Caine: Sir, I'm not aware of those as being particular targets, nor am I aware of those reports. I will have to go back and get back to you on that.
▶ 2:11:26Sen. Merkley: If you could, would appreciate that. You are aware that the infrastructure civilians lying on to survive are not considered--rely on to survive are not considered legitimate targets?
▶ 2:11:38Gen. Caine: As you know, we have a robust target that looks at a variety of considerations to include what you are alluding to run purely civilian or dual-used targets. I have trust and confidence in centcom that they are looking at the range of those things.
▶ 2:11:53Sen. Merkley: This sounds like you are assuring us that we will, the united states, not target even in retaliatory sense, infrastructure that is generally considered to be primarily for civilian survival?
▶ 2:12:08Gen. Caine: Sir, as I mentioned, we have a robust process. We have the most professional military --
▶ 2:12:15Sen. Merkley: It would be nice to have you say yes because this is international law. You understand international law.
▶ 2:12:21Gen. Caine: I do, sir. I have a lot of lawyers who help me understand it.
▶ 2:12:25Sen. Merkley: Thank you. We'll get back to us on that question of whether we targeted desalination plants, and if so, why?
▶ 2:12:33Gen. Caine: Yes.
▶ 2:12:35Sen. Merkley: My time is up, but I do want to express -- look at what the negotiators have put forward, advisors, as to whether a 10-day break could facilitate returning to dialogue that might find a path forward.
▶ 2:12:51Chair Collins: Senator hyde-smith.
▶ 2:12:55Sen. Hyde-Smith: Thank you, madam chairman, and I want to thank all three of you for being here today. I'm going to direct my first question to secretary rollins, and again, I want to commend you publicly for the outstanding job you are doing at usda. This is my world. As the former ag commissioner, I hear from a lot of producers in mississippi, and they are so pleased with your performance. That is just truly genuine right there.
▶ 2:13:25Sen. Hyde-Smith: I am pleased to see the administration's supplemental request for ag producers, because before I comment on that , I want the entire committee and administration to take note of the tremendous timber losses in places like mississippi due to winter storms and tornadoes we have had there. It is significant, and I certainly look forward to working with you, with the concerns of the timber sector.
▶ 2:13:52Sen. Hyde-Smith: Regarding the supplemental, our crop producers, as you mentioned in your opening remarks, they are truly in a serious situation. I've talked to multi-generation farmers back home who are the best of the best that did not even plant this year because they could not make the numbers work. And producers in mississippi and nationwide continue to face these economic conditions.
▶ 2:14:20Sen. Hyde-Smith: They are not going away anytime immediately or soon. But we have seen commodity prices drop and the input costs just go through the roof. If we want the next generation to stay on the land, congress, we are going after take this opportunity to provide this critical assistance for our farmers and enact policies that build structural demands for commodities like the buy
▶ 2:14:53Sen. Hyde-Smith: American cotton act, all of which would make the paths better, more favorable for these producers going forward. But I appreciate the administration's effort, including the former bridge assistance program that was so valuable implementation of the updated farm safety net, working, tax-cut act, and now the supplemental request.
▶ 2:15:21Sen. Hyde-Smith: But will you speak to like it is critical for congress to act swiftly to pass the supplemental and the need for us to pass legislation that drives the demand for farmers' products?
▶ 2:15:33Sec. Rollins: Thank you, senator, for your kind words. Number one, as we were to open the markets around the world, and we are to open the markets around the world, and as I mentioned in my opening remarks come about $50 billion agricultural deficit we inherited a year and a half ago is expected to go down significantly this year. Again, the highest prices we've seen in over a year in corn, soybeans, etc..
▶ 2:16:04Sec. Rollins: Opening of the domestic markets is very important, whether that is renewable fuel standards. Obviously, the reason for the drive up and some of our prices in the last month, which is really important. But also, as I mentioned, bringing the cost of input down. We are expanding fertilizer.
▶ 2:16:29Sec. Rollins: Also for the long term, we've got to figure out how we are going to do the supplementals and bridge payments, which we have to do for these farmers to survive. But what we are seeing is just survival, and we are seeing a lot of the input companies, equipment fees, fertilizer make record profits, so we got to be able to dig into that as well. As of today, ensuring we can keep these farmers farming while we are opening the markets, bringing down the cost of input is paramount for a secure america, and that is why this is so important today.
▶ 2:16:58Sen. Hyde-Smith: Thank you very, very much for that. Secretary hegseth, thank you for being here and the amazing job you are doing. I have the utmost respect for you, your team, and what you are accomplishing, but I am committed to ensuring that our war fighters have all the tools necessary to accomplish the mission in iran and whatever else they need to defend our nation's interests.
▶ 2:17:28Sen. Hyde-Smith: The supplemental request is in line with that goal, and I would like to shift my conversation right now quickly to ship building, which is extremely important to the state of mississippi and our country's ability to protect itself. The president's fy2021 the president's fy2027 budget request funding for one bbg 51, while the navy maintains their goal is to build two destroyers per year.
▶ 2:17:53Sen. Hyde-Smith: And at the same time, they were exploring options for overseas fabrication and future naval construction, shifting work away from domestic shipbuilders.
▶ 2:18:08Sen. Hyde-Smith: Shipyards like ingle in mississippi, which I would love to invite you down to, it is amazing, and the thousands of suppliers and small businesses they support, they need the confidence that the work will be there, so they can invest in new facilities, hire and train skilled workers, and expand capacity that we will need in the future.
▶ 2:18:29Sen. Hyde-Smith: Will you help or talk to us about the department's short and long-term shipbuilding plan and c1 >> because of the underinvestment from the past administration, we have to revitalize that industry.
▶ 2:18:53Sen. Hyde-Smith: As we ramp on more capacity, those numbers will go up as we grow that force. >> senator coons. >> thank you. I want to start with the things I know we agree on.
▶ 2:19:16Sen. Hyde-Smith: We agree we should honor our fallen and comfort their families, that we should be mindful of the hundreds of americans wounded and injured in the war in iran. General caine, your observations about how our adversaries are aligning with technology is -- and secretary hegseth that we
▶ 2:19:46Sen. Hyde-Smith: Need to protect our troops, our partners and allies and that the dangerous iranian regime should never possess a weapon and I think we agree on these points. Where we may disagree is on this supplemental and strategic choices made to achieve core goals.
▶ 2:20:08Sen. Hyde-Smith: We are hundred 43 days into a war of choice with iran that we started with israel but didn't consult or incorporate our core allies, the american people, or congress.
▶ 2:20:23Sen. Hyde-Smith: The reason to consult and include our allies and congress and the american people so that when the costs and the length of war extend beyond what we initially imagined, the american people and representatives of congress understand the sacrifice and can contender -- continue to support. I think the first mistake was to not consult the american people and congress and make a clear case for the reasons behind the war. There have been many offered and I think our military has executed on the core missions.
▶ 2:20:54Sen. Hyde-Smith: Attack listed missile sites, sink the blue water navy, attack proxies, constrain capacity. But I frankly think it was foreseeable that iran would close the strait of hormuz, would use cheap, lethal drones to attack our bases, our troops, partners and allies, and impose real costs, and fertilizer, fuel, higher cost for the world and tragically increasingly
▶ 2:21:25Sen. Hyde-Smith: Higher human cost. Mr. secretary, your question says without the supplement of funds we will face critical sure funds -- shortfalls. You been asked repeatedly, there's $75 billion appropriated but on obligated, can we really not avoid critical short-term shortfalls?
▶ 2:21:54Sen. Hyde-Smith: What does that mean about the budget management in the department in terms of unexpected and unbudgeted wars? First operation southern spirit region epic fury.
▶ 2:22:07Sec. Hegseth: 95% of that one big beautiful bill funding will be allocated by the end of september. These are things we said we would spend and we plan to spend them on those things by the end of september. This is a new request based on new realities of the world we face, stepping up to meet that moment.
▶ 2:22:34Sen. Coons: That's news to me that the 78 billion will be spent by september. I was questioning how we have ships running out of fuel and planes being grounded.
▶ 2:22:49Sec. Hegseth: I didn't say that. It's a trade-off. Everything our troops need they are getting in spades and beyond. Looking into the future, can we invest above and beyond that the types of munitions fast enough as we upgrade and modernize our force, that's what is at issue here in this supplemental and additional funding.
▶ 2:23:13Sen. Coons: Two different things , the budget request and now $76 billion supplemental. I'm going to point to the department of homeland security is sitting on nearly 100 billion unobligated funds. You requested reimbursement for the frankly billions the department has spent on law enforcement.
▶ 2:23:38Sec. Hegseth: We are getting a substantial reimbursement from dhs.
▶ 2:23:42Sen. Coons: That's good news and news to me. Frankly, as we reflect on the service and sacrifice of those who put their lives on the line in this war, one of the things I've raised over and over is the ways in which this administration has dragged its feet on partnering with ukraine in order to deploy the best in class sensors, detectors and counter drone systems to protect everything from dover air force base to our bases in the region to our troops to our partners.
▶ 2:24:14Sen. Coons: I want to see you focus on accelerating the defense of our troops the defense of our troops and nation, focus on accelerating the defense of our troops and this region and a strategy that has a real chance at succeeding at the goals we agree on. The strategy followed has no likely credible success.
▶ 2:24:43Sen. Coons: >> since the beginning of put in's aggression into ukraine, this body has passed five supplemental bills funding different portions of that war. You mentioned in your opening Mr. secretary about not getting those munitions that had come through this body quick enough to ukraine and also being able to replenish those at home.
▶ 2:25:12Sen. Coons: Can you talk a little more about that? Because I remember the previous administration dragging its feet after this body gave them directive what to do. Could you shed more light as to what you were talking about in your opening?
▶ 2:25:25Sec. Hegseth: Thank you. Sometimes we forget recent history, which under the biden administration the were five supplemental request for ukraine, which almost every member of this body voted for to send rapidly in a bipartisan fashion for something this committee and the administration deemed to be urgent. President trump might take a different view but that was the view of the bided administration.
▶ 2:25:48Sen. Britt: Would you say it would be urgent to make sure our men and women in uniform have everything they need?
▶ 2:25:54Sec. Hegseth: I would argue that providing for american men and women as opposed to ukrainian men and women is a higher priority for the senate. As good as the ukrainian cause might be, why is that righteous to do but funding troops in harm's way right now, given the threat and what they are undertaking, this is a partisan exercise? It is hypocrisy.
▶ 2:26:18Sen. Britt: When the russia-ukraine war started, we saw costs go up around the world. In particular in that region we know the supply of fertilizer, and ukraine was top five when it came to wheat and corn and other things utilized across the globe. It's my recollection that fertilizer went up about 55%.
▶ 2:26:49Sen. Britt: If we were able to create stability in the region and have peace, it would follow that prices would likely go down over time within the agricultural world as well, is that fair?
▶ 2:27:04Sec. Rollins: Yes, that is correct.
▶ 2:27:07Sen. Britt: Looking at the ukraine and russia were in trying to end putin's aggression and bring peace, enroll kane -- general caine, if we were to cut off the funding russia is getting, would it follow that would be a driver that would possibly lead putin to the table?
▶ 2:27:30Gen. Caine: Yes, and their economy is struggling now.
▶ 2:27:34Sen. Britt: Sl reports this weekend it's said possibly russia and china, which I know you can't comment on right now, are actually helping iran, whether it's targeting our troops, funding or other mechanisms. So we can agree ending that would be helpful.
▶ 2:27:56Sen. Britt: I want to echo senator kennedy's comments, if we can get this on the floor and passed, it would be huge with regards to russian sanctions. I want to briefly talk about the dysfunction of this body.
▶ 2:28:13Sen. Britt: I would have to think our adversaries, and I believe we need to fully fund our military, making sure our war fighter is the best equipped across the planet, I think we have an obligation and duty to not only meet the needs of the moment but prepare for that.
▶ 2:28:34Sen. Britt: You talk about insurance policy and what we need to do good now is the time to do those things but I would think the dysfunction of this body, whether the full shutdown, partial shutdown, partial shutdown, not able to pass ndaa, not being able to pass pfizer, I would think our adversaries look at that and it gives them a little more credence as to what they are doing a broad.
▶ 2:28:59Sec. Hegseth: That's why I've said and will continue to say the inability to properly fund the department of war is probably the single greatest threat our nation faces. Whether or not we will make a generational investment not just winning the worst currently but deterring the wars in the future, given the step change in technology at this moment -- you didn't mention the continued resolution which is another way our department has foolishly budgeted. I appreciate you highlighting that.
▶ 2:29:28Sen. Britt: General caine, obviously a shutdown is a terrible thing for the department of war and the men and women you oversee but I would assume a cr is not much better, can you comment on the effects of that?
▶ 2:29:43Gen. Caine: The department has done a lot of work to bind together founders, funders and fighters as we look at the challenges we face in the future and acr would hurt badly.
▶ 2:29:57Sen. Britt: I hope we can work together to do the right thing.
▶ 2:30:05Sen. Schatz: Thank you. I want to start by paying my respects to tyler feehan, who was killed in jordan while serving his country.
▶ 2:30:23Sen. Schatz: His dedication and unwavering commitment to duty reflect the best of our armed forces and we extend our deepest condolences to his family, loved ones, fellow servicemembers and remain forever grateful for his sacrifice. Secretary, about 190,000 people in the state of hawaii, believe it or not, voted for donald john trump, I know and represent them up. -- them.
▶ 2:30:55Sen. Schatz: One of the reasons they were enthusiastic about donald trump and you is they thought we would have a new foreign policy. I'm paraphrasing, but I think you characterized yourself as a reformed neocon or some such thing. People were thrilled about the idea that we were -- america first in their mind meant we would not do this kind of adventurism.
▶ 2:31:23Sen. Schatz: I don't want you to answer me, I want you to answer them and I want to walk through the stated objectives of this war at the outset. Regime change. We now have a younger and more radical regime. Depleting, eliminating their conventional missile capability.
▶ 2:31:46Sen. Schatz: It's true we depleted their conventional missile capability, it's also true anything the department of war sets out to do , it usually succeeds at. The question is not do we kick ass, it's window we decide to use kinetic engagement to extend our power across the globe? It's clear that iran still retains enough conventional missile capability to attack our bases and interests in the region.
▶ 2:32:18Sen. Schatz: It's true the blue water navy is destroyed and also true the irgc has something you may not call a navy but it's got capabilities to touch us with drones and missiles and lay mines in the strait of hormuz. Preventing their nuclear capability.
▶ 2:32:40Sen. Schatz: It's also true that if you bomb a place they will have less capabilities at the end of it, but it's also true we have not eliminated their nuclear capability and whatever duration we have set them back pills in comparison to the obama nuclear deal we did without having to put our people in harm's way. The last objective, which is a new objective, open up the strait of hormuz. The strait of hormuz was open before the war started.
▶ 2:33:12Sen. Schatz: You tell my constituents why this war is going so well.
▶ 2:33:17Sec. Hegseth: I think you did accurately portray me as a reformed neocon, members of our generation watched administrations on both sides try to portray a remaking of society that spent thousands of lives.
▶ 2:33:36Sec. Hegseth: In iraq, I don't know the exact number, but tens of thousands between iraq and afghanistan lost. President trump said we are not going to have stupid wars like that, but he does not want them to have a path to a nuclear bomb. He said as a candidate in private citizen iran could not have a nuclear weapon because they would wielded overhead in perpetuity.
▶ 2:34:07Sec. Hegseth: President trump ran on fighting words differently and we are doing so overwhelmingly, and he's been clear they cannot have a nuclear capability.
▶ 2:34:15Sen. Schatz: I think we are understanding the limits of airpower. We are basically at a stalemate. Someone says the strait of hormuz is closed and we say we have a naval blockade and we will see who blinks first. The truth is, in order to change the balance, change the equation , some kind of escalation would have to be considered.
▶ 2:34:46Sen. Schatz: If you're taking that off the table we are in a holding pattern. I go back to the original five objectives and none of them have been met. Some of them have changed but none have been met. With gas at now $4.02, brent crude hit $90 today, gas up about a dollar nationwide, people want to know why are we even doing this?
▶ 2:35:14Chair Collins: Senator fischer.
▶ 2:35:19Sen. Fischer: Secretary, I appreciated your perspective on the focus on a four-year war in comparison to a four-month war with the nuclear adversary and I thought it was well said.
▶ 2:35:40Sen. Fischer: If we want to support ukraine going forward, I think the best way to do that is to dramatically increase munition production. We need more interceptors. We have to be able to move forward. So do our allies and friends. Let me emphasize this supplemental does that. This is what we are talking about today. It's one of the things we are talking about.
▶ 2:36:14Sen. Fischer: As a member of the armed services committee, one of my priorities has been munition production. General caine, what happens if congress doesn't fund this $21 billion request for additional munitions?
▶ 2:36:27Gen. Caine: Ma'am, there's been a lot of work done by the department to partner with the private sector. I will acknowledge some of the efforts the private sector is doing to utilize their own capital to facilitate factories. If we don't as a team figure out how to properly fund the department, we are not going to get the munitions and there will be a lack of shared risk between the federal government and private sector.
▶ 2:36:58Gen. Caine: I think we are at a point in time where we need to partner and find an ability to share risk and be better sellers and buyers on both sides in order to make sure that the young, all volunteer force has the weapons they need before they are asked to do something.
▶ 2:37:13Sen. Fischer: You are saying we need to be prepared as a country?
▶ 2:37:18Gen. Caine: Yes ma'am. And I hope we will find a way to make sure we seize this moment to ensure we've got the right mix of munitions, high, low, scale, autonomous.
▶ 2:37:35Sen. Fischer: What is plan b if the supplemental doesn't pass?
▶ 2:37:40Gen. Caine: We will always have contingencies, we will always determine a way to create multiple, simultaneous deliver most -- the limits for adversaries around the world to great time for us to do the work.
▶ 2:37:55Sen. Fischer: As you've heard me say a number of times in our hearings and armed services and in classified briefings, we don't have a lot of time, do we?
▶ 2:38:06Gen. Caine: No mama. That's why I said if not now, wind, and if not us, who? I believe we are at a moment in history where we have a choice to make, just given what I see on the next couple of ridgelines and I encourage us to move forward.
▶ 2:38:24Sen. Fischer: Thank you. Mr. secretary, how would this scale munitions production and accelerate delivery times?
▶ 2:38:32Sec. Hegseth: In the past previous administrations we would send the same amount of dollars and try to encourage companies to build a new factory or at another shift. This fulfills deals we've cut with these companies, multiyear procurement, these -- you've provided the multiyear
▶ 2:39:03Sec. Hegseth: Procurement and those companies are spending $4 billion, $5 billion, $3 billion on building their own new factories that produce more munitions than the past and they pay for it. In this budget, it saves $18 billion on munitions because we are buying munitions at today's cost and not five or seven years from now.
▶ 2:39:27Sen. Fischer: I had to interrupt but we are running out of time. We also have the request includes $4.1 billion for our space-based capabilities and that includes the amti and space data network capabilities. These really underpin the long-range kill chains and allow wall fighters -- war fighters to track airborne threats.
▶ 2:39:57Sen. Fischer: What's the risk to the joint force if we delay these programs until fy 28 were beyond?
▶ 2:40:03Sec. Hegseth: Not being able to see or sense when an adversary can engage our capabilities, means falling behind in every other domain.
▶ 2:40:16Sen. Fischer: General caine do you have anything to add on that light congress cannot wait? You make such an excellent case on that.
▶ 2:40:25Gen. Caine: No, ma'am. I will stick with the words I offered.
▶ 2:40:30Sen. Fischer: Secretary rollins, thank you for taking care of the horrible disasters we've had in nebraska, we appreciate you coming out and I have a couple things more I want to bring to your attention. Thank you very much, thank you madam chair.
▶ 2:40:49Chair Collins: Senator van hollen.
▶ 2:40:53Sen. Van Hollen: In maryland we have one of the crown jewels of agriculture research. Can we find time to get together in the coming weeks to discuss the situation there?
▶ 2:41:10Sec. Rollins: Absolutely yes.
▶ 2:41:14Sen. Van Hollen: We recently lost three american heroes. That brings the death toll for american soldiers to 18. One is still missing. Hundreds have been injured. That's on top of the civilian death toll in the region that stands at several thousand, including the over 150 people killed in the bombing of an elementary school in iran.
▶ 2:41:42Sen. Van Hollen: Meanwhile, the strait of hormuz is closed, gas prices today the united states again spiked above four dollars per gallon. That will push up costs for groceries and other things that families by. Secretary, you said in your opening statement the best way to ensure peace is prepare for war and I agree with you about deterrence.
▶ 2:42:06Sen. Van Hollen: I would also submit the best way to ensure peace is not to start wars because they are a lot easier to start van in general caine, I heard your testimony that iran will continue to be a challenge and I think it's pretty clear that is the case.
▶ 2:42:28Sen. Van Hollen: General, in order for you to develop a military strategy to accomplish a particular objective, you obviously need to know what those objectives are, right?
▶ 2:42:41Gen. Caine: Yes sir, it all starts with what is the political objective and from that we derive military objectives that support whatever that is.
▶ 2:42:52Sen. Van Hollen: As you say, it's a political objective.
▶ 2:42:56Gen. Caine: Yes sir.
▶ 2:42:58Sen. Van Hollen: Mr. secretary you've talked a lot about winning, in your testimony today and throughout the iran war and we all like winning. But I think the american people deserve a definition of what it means to win in iran. Because this war has dragged out for a lot longer than certainly the president of the united states indicated.
▶ 2:43:29Sen. Van Hollen: Indeed the president said march 24, we have won this war, this war has been won. Do you know the president meant?
▶ 2:43:40Sec. Hegseth: I would just note that militarily, iran has been overmatched and crushed from the beginning. There capabilities are not near ours. I would take issue with your characterization that we started this war. Iran started this work 47 years ago and killed thousands of americans, including in --
▶ 2:44:03Sen. Van Hollen: Mr. secretary, let me just ask you this, since you said that what the president meant by his statement on march 24, I think, that we had defeated iran nila terribly, -- militarily, but that's not the entire objective of this war.
▶ 2:44:25Sen. Van Hollen: I don't think there was ever a question that the united states with its superior military could destroy a lot of iranian assets, military or otherwise. That was never a question. When most people think of winning the war, they think that means the war will come to an end because we have won. The president said in march we won.
▶ 2:44:51Sen. Van Hollen: I guess my question to you is how are we going to define winning? Back in march, you said about the iranians, whether they will have a ceremony in tehran square and surrender is up to them. So my question, reopening the strait of hormuz is necessary for us to win, right? Simple yes or no.
▶ 2:45:19Sec. Hegseth: You asked me about the overarching objective, it is that iran does not have a nuclear weapon and that's been clear from day one. That's why we are watching their nuclear sites and it was part of negotiations, entering the next generation of americans don't have to deal with iran that wields a nuclear weapon.
▶ 2:45:38Sen. Van Hollen: Since that's what you're leading with, let me say this. You said after midnight hammer, our bombing campaign obliterated iran's ability to create nuclear weapons. Clearly that's not the case based on your testimony today. It's also a fact that the dni tulsi gabbard testified that it was our assessment iran did not intend to restart its nuclear program.
▶ 2:46:07Sen. Van Hollen: The president about a week ago said iran has committed not to develop a nuclear weapon which is a commitment they've made for years and we need to enforce that and that's what we were doing under the jcpoa. Thank you.
▶ 2:46:26Sen. Rounds: I had the opportunity to serve as governor of south dakota for eight years. During that time we deployed over 5000 young men and women in harm's way, national guard members from south dakota.
▶ 2:46:47Sen. Rounds: I attended their departure ceremonies, I attended welcome home ceremonies, and I attended 31 funerals. One of the main reasons I decided to come to washington was because I never wanted to see young men and women going into harm's way again if they didn't have the best leadership,
▶ 2:47:17Sen. Rounds: The best training and the best equipment possible. Now, this body, the senate, with regard to the iranian war, to date this body has chosen not to impose war power limitations on the president nor have we pushed for the withdrawal of forces from the theater.
▶ 2:47:46Sen. Rounds: I think the decision to take out iran's nuclear program and their missile production capacity was the right one. It should've been done along time ago. When the president did that, we also assumed there would be risk involved. When you put young admin -- young men and women in harm's way you want to do everything you can to ensure you get the job done and get out. I think that's what we talk about.
▶ 2:48:20Sen. Rounds: Not a day since february -- today since february, we haven't finished the job. I think the question the american people have, when the difficult decision comes, because I don't think diplomacy is working and I think most people would say we have more issues in front of us before this is complete, for general caine, when the time comes and the president is asking for the
▶ 2:48:51Sen. Rounds: Decisions about the options available to him, to appropriately end this war favorable to the united states and take care of this problem permanently, are you prepared to provide him with the appropriate options he's going to have to make a decision to choose from?
▶ 2:49:11Gen. Caine: I always provide the president with appropriate options and risks he can choose from.
▶ 2:49:17Sen. Rounds: And those options he has to choose from will cost money and that is our role. Because if we don't do it right, young men and women die. Question to you, is this -- you offered a supplemental request.
▶ 2:49:40Sen. Rounds: Is this enough money to get the job done or is this just going to get us far enough until we have to come back in here and meantime we may very well not have young men and women out of harm's way yet?
▶ 2:49:51Gen. Caine: Sir, I want to start with recognizing your 31 fallen from home and mourn their losses. We carefully consider the use of military force every day.
▶ 2:50:06Gen. Caine: The most important thing I do is make sure the president and other leaders understand the risk and carefully consider dover, as we will go tomorrow to bring back the fallen. I can't answer on how much it will cost because the enemy has a vote.
▶ 2:50:27Gen. Caine: I will commit that as this plays out we will make sure congress is informed but because I'm not sure how this will play out yet it would be unwise for me to comment on what future costs may or may not be depending on what they choose.
▶ 2:50:39Sen. Rounds: And general, you will provide a plan to congress that whatever the appropriate classification level, on what resources are required to execute what the president's intent will be to successfully end this conflict?
▶ 2:50:55Gen. Caine: I will always make sure as we have that we are moving data as appropriate to congress.
▶ 2:51:03Sen. Rounds: In terms of follow-up, some have criticized operation epic fury for using our stockpiles. The inventories of those munitions and the capacity, where they sufficient prior to operation epic fury?
▶ 2:51:31Sec. Hegseth: As I laid out, because of the previous administration funding shortfalls, you nations transferred to ukraine and not replaced and ignoring threats, it a lot of risk that requires this kind of investment.
▶ 2:51:47Sec. Hegseth: You look at the $67 billion alongside the $1.5 billion, that doesn't just match peer adversaries but surpasses them, which I think is your expectation so we can give everything possible to the war fighter they deserve.
▶ 2:52:08Sen. Heinrich: General caine, our military is the best in the world so I don't think any of us should be surprised with the technical execution of its attacks on the iranian regime's forces, they've been flawless. But I don't want us to confuse is flawed this -- flawless execution with long-term strategic success.
▶ 2:52:45Sen. Heinrich: I think an important critical objective is I want to see the strait of hormuz open again where shippers can transit the strait without being extorted by iran and I would love to see that before our commercial and other oil reserves are exhausted because of the impacts that will have on the pocketbooks of american families. Is that a reasonable objective and when you share?
▶ 2:53:15Gen. Caine: I will defer on the military objectives to the political leaders who set them. What I can tell you is U.S. central command it's working hard to ensure iran cannot terrorize the southern flank and they are doing so every day and night. And you and the rest of the senate would be proud of the actions and to woody's of the forces down there.
▶ 2:53:43Gen. Caine: The character of war is changing like I said in my opening statement. There's a variety and mix of munitions down there coming at commercial traffic. I would like to be clear and unambiguous that you and the rest of the senate. The iranian forces have a choice to make and they should knock it off.
▶ 2:54:02Sen. Heinrich: I have no doubt I would be incredibly proud of the actions of our servicemembers in this conflict. I hope we can achieve that kind of strategic objection on the timeline that avoids the worst impacts of the limitations of commercial oil supplies right now.
▶ 2:54:26Sen. Heinrich: Secretary rawlins, one of the things you mentioned in your opening statement that we seem to agree on is there's too much consolidation in a number of agricultural sectors. You mentioned fertilizer and seed's but in particular I want to talk about the meatpacking industry because in a previous trump administration bailout, about $90 billion went to the corrupt brazilian meatpacker gps.
▶ 2:54:54Sen. Heinrich: I think congress intended those funds to go to american ranchers. I want to ask what are you going to do this time around to ensure the proposed relief dollars that we are talking about today, that those funds to american producers instead of the very foreign corporations that have crated the business model where ranchers bear the risk and meatpackers reap the profits?
▶ 2:55:20Sec. Rollins: We are obviously at a 75 year herd low. We are working to solve for that. The department of justice is investigating the -- and usta is investing funds in supporting midsized and smaller packers around the country. I know that wasn't your question but to answer the bigger question which is really important.
▶ 2:55:49Sec. Rollins: From my perspective, what trump usda 2.0 has been hyper focused on small and midsize ranchers, we've worked hard on the $40 billion that's moved through to make sure it goes where it is intended, which is not multinational foreign agricultural corporations.
▶ 2:56:09Sen. Heinrich: I very much support the efforts of the department of justice and I think there's an important antitrust case to be made here. At the same time I've watched as your department has rescinded three important rules in place to protect farmers and ranchers from unfair practices by large meatpackers. Those rules were supported by the american farm bureau and farmers union. Explain that discrepancy to me?
▶ 2:56:39Sec. Rollins: Which rules?
▶ 2:56:41Sen. Heinrich: Inclusive competition, transparency in contracting and poultry grower payment systems.
▶ 2:56:53Sec. Rollins: The packers and stockyards I think is what you're talking about. We are executing an additional review on that. I think the point is well made that sometimes that is to the benefit of larger corporations. I've begun to make a larger case and more vigorous case on the importance of the consolidation and we will take a second look at that and I would love your input.
▶ 2:57:16Sen. Heinrich: I would very much support d consolidation, thank you.
▶ 2:57:21Chair Collins: Senator houston.
▶ 2:57:27Sen. Husted: In my short time in the senate I've learned we are great at embracing the oversight go but often times many people don't want to do their jobs in terms of funding the government. To actually do the work we are supposed to do as appropriators. I am not for blank checks, I believe everybody should be accountable, but I also believe we should do our job.
▶ 2:57:56Sen. Husted: We now have a supplemental funding request we've discussed, we are waiting on getting an nda done. Despite the chairs best efforts to facilitate an appropriations process, there's a question whether that will get done on time. My question, I will start with you, secretary hegseth, to talk a little bit about what the consequences of failure, what it means to not do this on time.
▶ 2:58:26Sen. Husted: I've talked to defense contractors, is a former executive, I know the legislative branch often thinks, no matter when we get this done, you wave a wand and it magically happens but that's not how it happens.
▶ 2:58:46Sen. Husted: It takes time, businesses that build the weapons systems who don't know if they will get paid, they can't plan, staff up or order the equipment and less they know the money is coming. What are the consequences of not just doing this but doing it on time in a timely manner?
▶ 2:59:04Sec. Hegseth: I think the consequences of dysfunction in funding this department put at risk -- I think the first time in 20 or 30 year reform effort how we do business as a department. We are going to war with pentagon bureaucracy because it existed to defend a few systems and processes and companies.
▶ 2:59:31Sec. Hegseth: If you talk to industry, they've never seen anything like what our department are doing right now to run fast at speed but it counts on this body and funding that saves the taxpayer tens of billions of dollars and gets weapons to war fighters years and years faster than the past. Without the funding we put at issue all of those deals, all the reforms, all the ways in which we are changing our department and moving at the speed of business. It's not just dollars and cents.
▶ 3:00:06Sec. Hegseth: It's showing industry we will meet you at this moment and if we can't get past our dysfunction to fund the war fighter.
▶ 3:00:13Sen. Husted: General caine, same question, not knowing if the funding will come, what are the consequences to the war fighter?
▶ 3:00:27Gen. Caine: I will add to the secretary's comments, it will manifest in a range of ways. Readiness, munitions, training, cyber, unmanned autonomy. This is why am asking for congress to help, for us to look forward at the next couple of ridgelines and be thoughtful about the moves we make. I understand the environment we are operating in right now.
▶ 3:00:56Gen. Caine: Whatever structure the legislature and executive branch determine, we need predictable capital. My investor had on from my previous life. So we can procure the capabilities we need where we need them. Those things are changing.
▶ 3:01:16Gen. Caine: The advancement of small drones and things like that, we have to make sure we stay close with congress so that as technology develops at a speed we haven't seen before, we are staying very close and partnering with congress to enable us to use that capital with the appropriate or's g appropriate or's buy in two use the force properly.
▶ 3:01:43Sen. Husted: The new generation of weapons, I think you can agree we've learned a lot from ukraine and this conflict about how we were underprepared from this standpoint. From a defensive standpoint. We have to continue to modernize the weapons systems and I think it's important we not only do our job but on time.
▶ 3:02:13Sen. Husted: You cannot run a department of defense, run businesses without knowing if you're going to get funded. The supply chain, the workforce, everything it's held up.
▶ 3:02:26Gen. Caine: I used to work in the private sector for a company headquartered in ohio and those leaders told me your entire job is to deliver quality parts on time was shorter lead times and lower costs.
▶ 3:02:42Gen. Caine: Part of why am so passionate about this is I see how this capital if the chart -- congress chooses to give it us will ensure our joint force.
▶ 3:02:59Sen. Husted: Thank you.
▶ 3:03:02Chair Collins: Senator gillibrand.
▶ 3:03:06Sen. Gillibrand: Secretary hegseth, you are requesting billions of dollars in supplement of funding for a war you said will last for weeks and the president has no plan or ability to end. At the same time, the still unauthorized and extremely unpopular war has cost -- caused gas, fertilizer and other things
▶ 3:03:36Sen. Gillibrand: To become more expensive. How do we go back to new york and what would you say to them who are seeing health care bills rise because of massive cuts to medicaid, they've seen grocery and gas bills rise, and this unpopular and unauthorized war abroad is a higher priority to this administration than the ability to feed their families and provide health care to loved ones who are sick?
▶ 3:04:05Sec. Hegseth: You are talking about political trade-offs and our job is to deliver for the U.S. ellet terry and the president and we look at the cost of a nuclear iran and want to prevent that for future generations. That requires funding and supplementals and next-generation capabilities and that's why we are here to request that to ensure iran never gets nuclear weapon.
▶ 3:04:29Sen. Gillibrand: You're asking for one point $5 trillion for a war president trump said he already won. You're asking for 1.5 trillion dollars, unlimited money for bombs but on sufficient money -- insufficient money for the american people's health care, food, housing, and are farmers, we've cut snap, we are not funding the losses from
▶ 3:04:59Sen. Gillibrand: Emergencies that have happened in blue states.
▶ 3:05:02Sec. Rollins: That's not true.
▶ 3:05:04Sen. Gillibrand: False, you're not funding it.
▶ 3:05:10Sec. Rollins: There's no reason to be rude.
▶ 3:05:13Sen. Gillibrand: You're asking for unlimited money for bombs when people can't feed their families and I don't know how this administration intends to defend those decisions to the american people.
▶ 3:05:23Sec. Hegseth: Not unlimited bombs, I'm asking for the right bombs of the right time to ensure we can deter adversaries into the future. The previous administration --
▶ 3:05:34Sen. Gillibrand: This is why people are so upset with you and this administration. The words you have used in the past don't add up. About iran specifically, you said we had obliterated iran's ability to create nuclear weapons. The president made the same claim. Eight months later in february of 2026 the president launched an active for claiming iran was within two weeks of having a weapon.
▶ 3:06:02Sen. Gillibrand: When you say two very different things, the american people know what to believe, they just know they can afford their health care, they can afford their food, they can't afford housing and farmers are continuing to suffer. Which is true, was it obliterated or wasn't at?
▶ 3:06:19Sec. Hegseth: The nuclear sites under the night hammer work obliterated by iranians continued to pursue nuclear capabilities which is why we destroyed the defense industrial base and other capabilities to ensure they can't get to -- we are staying laser focus on the objective in your trying to make campaign commercials and that's fine.
▶ 3:06:39Sen. Gillibrand: You also say you made the missile program "destroyed" and every company that built, every component of missiles has been functionally defeated and destroyed and the missile program, existing stockpiles were depleted and decimated, so why are there missiles left to hit jordan and result in the loss of life of our brave men and women?
▶ 3:07:07Sec. Hegseth: As we stated from the beginning, the iranian defense industrial base is effectively gone but they have underground facilities because of the worlds leading state sponsor of terrorism and they spent 47 years trying to hide missiles under mountains.
▶ 3:07:21Sen. Gillibrand: Thank you. We just don't know what version of the war to believe because it's either over or it's not, in two weeks or not, we have missiles all redound. That consternation is why so many new yorkers are perplexed, stressed-out and find the war to biggie -- to be incredibly unpopular. They don't understand the choices or agree with those choices.
▶ 3:07:50Sen. Gillibrand: Secretary rollins, youth cut, 160,000 new yorkers have been cut off of snap.
▶ 3:08:06Sec. Rollins: Gas is down from biden today, fertilizer is down 56%.
▶ 3:08:16Sen. Gillibrand: Prices are higher than when you took office so you are not doing better for new yorkers.
▶ 3:08:24Sec. Rollins: That's not true. Your state is taking prime farmland and turning it into a solar farm, that's inexcusable. [crosstalk]
▶ 3:08:39Chair Collins: The senator's time has expired. Senator boseman.
▶ 3:08:46Sen. Boozman: Thank you all for your service to our country and national security. I think it's easy for the public to understand how your contribution in the position you are in. Some don't understand the position are secretary of agriculture is in.
▶ 3:09:15Sen. Boozman: I gave a presentation a couple years ago and then senator rubio was over here and he said always tell them that food security is national security. Again, what we are talking about today is very important to our country. Right now we are in a generational crisis.
▶ 3:09:44Sen. Boozman: Our banks commit our economists tell us if we don't start doing things differently, and the good news is the administration is doing things differently. . We will lose 20, 20 5% of our farmers in the next food years. I visit almost daily with farmers about the difficult farm economy.
▶ 3:10:12Sen. Boozman: My concern is the supplemental is very much appreciated. After hearing the testimony today and concerns, we might need to look at bumping that up a little bit. But we will discuss that later.
▶ 3:10:33Sen. Boozman: Supplemental assistance is important but that's not the answer. We are trying to keep farmers going until the programs kick in.
▶ 3:10:55Sen. Boozman: You mentioned value add and finding new markets, can you talk about that, the importance not only of supplemental, and what we are doing in conjunction with that?
▶ 3:11:09Sec. Rollins: The effort to bring inputs down, and if we can do that we will have a remarkable recovery. You add that to the 19 new trade deals, more coming online every day, the record-breaking crops.
▶ 3:11:43Sec. Rollins: Then you look at expanding the domestic market. The biofuels. We've seen corn and wheat hit record highs, the highest number for the year after announcing the renewable fuel standards. We are seeing incredible movement in the right direction. All of the work under the working families tax cut act, the last administration couldn't get a farm bill, you did that with the president's leadership.
▶ 3:12:14Sec. Rollins: Combined with a 250 billion dollar investment in rural america, the largest investment in rural america in history, this congress did this with the white house leadership and all of that will change the trajectory for the long term of farming and ranching in america. To get to that point, that's why the supplemental is so important.
▶ 3:12:39Sen. Boozman: I have a letter I want to put into the record. Secretary hegseth, one of the things we are concerned about in the military construction aspect of things, we are really not asking for that in the
▶ 3:13:11Sen. Boozman: Supplemental. I know the success of operation epic fury, particularly for missile interceptors in short range aircraft, can you tell us how we can help you again with military construction so we won't be faced with this in the future, trying to double up?
▶ 3:13:37Sec. Hegseth: I think congress finding a way to meet close to the totality of 1.5 trillion dollars means we are not making the trade-offs the department has made for decades. Those are the types of things, construction and maintenance that fall off when trade-offs occur. You dig the hole deeper. This budget fully funds the unfunded priority list of pay com in gets at every substandard baruch across the department.
▶ 3:14:06Sec. Hegseth: We are funding military construction and a way we haven't done before to get out of the hole we've had for a while.
▶ 3:14:15Chair Collins: Thank you. To the very patient senator baldwin.
▶ 3:14:23Sen. Baldwin: Thank you. And thank you for appearing before a committee today. Too many I represent and to me, this supplemental request is another example of this administration's misplaced priorities.
▶ 3:14:46Sen. Baldwin: Instead of spending tens of billions of dollars more for this president's war of choice in iran have voted to end absent explicit authorization of congress, we aren't -- we could help american families.
▶ 3:15:15Sen. Baldwin: We could use it with rising energy costs, to help families afford childcare, to help more kids get free school lunch. We could use the funding to restore health care for working families. We could use the funding to support our -- public schools in special education.
▶ 3:15:42Sen. Baldwin: This is a war of choice, and every dollar spent on this war is a dollar not spent helping families afford housing, health care, groceries, childcare at home. Investing in the opportunities for the american people.
▶ 3:16:02Sen. Baldwin: First, I want to express my condolences and my respect for the 17 american service members killed in this war since february, including three over the past few days. Their lives are the price this country has paid for this war. The deadliest day for U.S.
▶ 3:16:25Sen. Baldwin: Forces was on march 1 when an iranian drone struck an army facility in kuwait, killing six soldiers and injuring more than 30 others, including soldiers from wisconsin. Soldiers from the unit stationed there told the facility did not have adequate air defense capabilities.
▶ 3:16:56Sen. Baldwin: The soldiers and their families believed were sent into harm's way without the defenses they needed. Secretary hegseth, what would you say to those soldiers and their families? >> first of all, we honor and recognize their sacrifice. We have been in touch with at least one of the families on a regular basis. We understand the pain of losing a loved one is unfathomable. That is why we greeted them and we will tomorrow.
▶ 3:17:27Sen. Baldwin: In talking to admiral cooper before all of this was undertaken, maximizing defensive capabilities, mostly by moving as many people as possible, which we did in historic fashion, moving 90% of people off of american theaters where they can be a target.
▶ 3:17:45Sen. Baldwin: >> I want to focus on kuwait, I will quote from the washington post article, -- did not have any of the systems that would take down the one-way attack drones, and initial assessments found it was not adequately predicted.
▶ 3:18:07Sen. Baldwin: Soldiers have been quoted saying requests for medical and drone defenses were denied prior to the conflict with iran beginning. Why were those requests denied?
▶ 3:18:23Sec. Hegseth: I would confer with admiral cooper, but not a single drone or defense request denied to any level I'm aware of. >> secretary hegseth, an article from july 12, the washington post, quoted a soldier saying that the units request for an eagles drone defense system was denied because of lack of assets.
▶ 3:18:55Sec. Hegseth: Attack. Do you commit to releasing the findings of that investigation publicly?
▶ 3:19:00Sec. Hegseth: We will get you the status of that. If it was a resource constraint, that is where we are having this hearing today, to speed up systems to the battlefield to war fighters as fast as humanly possible. It needs to be factor, reforms -- >> will you make the findings of the investigation publicly?
▶ 3:19:24Sec. Hegseth: I will make sure it is handled properly, yes. >> secretary hegseth, I traveled to walter reed military hospital and met soldiers who were injured in that attack. They told me and confirmed what other soldiers said publicly, most of these soldiers injured in the attack did not receive proper medical care in kuwait, germany, or during their initial days back in the U.S. the U.S.
▶ 3:19:51Sec. Hegseth: Military has been fighting wars in the middle east for 25 years. Why was proper medical care not immediately available to these injured soldiers, and why were they not immediately screened for traumatic brain injuries?
▶ 3:20:08Sec. Hegseth: I'm not taking issue with the characterization of individual soldiers, but every effort was made to provide every level of medical care possible. >> the senator's time has expired. And there is a vote on. Senator o. >> thank you for being here.
▶ 3:20:28Sec. Hegseth: The last time I saw secretary hegseth and general caine was at the pentagon, when you honored andrew wolfe, who was attacked in D.C. in november. And the honor you have given to sarah beckstrom and her family, who lost that who lost her life that day.
▶ 3:20:51Sec. Hegseth: You have been in contact with andrew and his family, and you know the great faith that they have in the lord above is what has brought them to their point where they are now. I'm interested in senator baldwin's question, because I have a soldier from west virginia who is making a very similar complaint. I would like to do that. I would also like to recognize the three most recent service members we lost.
▶ 3:21:19Sec. Hegseth: We talk about service members and soldiers, but I have not heard them say their name. Lieutenant tyler james freehand, private isabella gonzalez, sergeant michael swinton. You will be greeting their families, and unfortunately, there caskets as they come home tomorrow.
▶ 3:21:42Sec. Hegseth: My question is we have heard a lot about why we shouldn't be voting for this -- is it really necessary -- I guess my question is what is the consequence of not passing this supplemental? Where do you see that hitting us most deeply?
▶ 3:22:04Gen. Caine: It will manifest itself in a few different places. Military personnel related matters. We will figure out how to pay soldiers and sailors, but that would be a strain. Operations and maintenance costs. And the ability for the department to take some of this capital and wisely invest it in future combat capability and things like a.I., counter uis, hypersonics, and space.
▶ 3:22:33Gen. Caine: >> not only would it hit us today, but can tomorrow?
▶ 3:22:36Gen. Caine: Yes, I view this is forward-looking. When we look at the future picture and various risks we are facing, and the budget, help to ensure that we are properly arming the joint force for the myriad of potential contingencies that we face in the future. >> thank you.
▶ 3:22:58Gen. Caine: As we look at one of the best successes under your leadership, the department of war has been the fulfillment of the recruitment in every branch. I remember last year or the year before -- only the marines could brag that they had made their records. Now I think many -- the other branches, you are far exceeding what they have done.
▶ 3:23:25Gen. Caine: That tells me that american young men and women want to serve the country, they want to be safe and do the right thing. So how does not funding them, if they think that their salaries may be short, or we will have a continuing resolution, shut down the government, how can this chill what has been one of the greatest successes in terms of not just today's force, but the force of the future?
▶ 3:23:52Sec. Hegseth: In a brass tax sense, this $1.5 trillion budget in its totality sees a 7% pay raise for junior enlisted, 6% for nco's and junior officers, and 5% for senior officers. It is a significant reflection of the value we place. On top of the other increases congress has provided them. We will do right by the troops. We will make sure they get paid.
▶ 3:24:18Sec. Hegseth: But it will put strains on training and readiness and all the other aspects over time, which makes its way down to the unit level. When you are saying we are focused on training and readiness and lethality but we have to cut back on training because congress can't get the money we need to the department, that is discouraging at every single level. When young men and women joint this war department, we want them moving immediately to the training pipeline at the highest level with the best possible equipment.
▶ 3:24:48Sec. Hegseth: They have seen this thus far and it has led to historic recruiting momentum. We need to keep that momentum. >> I would say you can have the reverse effect if it is troubled waters here and lack of confidence, which we see on the others of the aisle, questions I think would not be asked if it were not a political nature. We will chill our recruiting efforts here for young people as they look forward to serving their country and becoming the patriot they want to be.
▶ 3:25:17Sec. Hegseth: Returning to -- where they did not meet the goals, but they had to lower the goals and did not meet the lower goals. Now we don't have the readiness we need as a force. >> thank you very much, secretary of agriculture, I will get to you another time. >> senator murphy. >> thank you for being here today. The american people either didn't want this war from the start, or are deeply skeptical of this war.
▶ 3:25:47Sec. Hegseth: Because they have seen this country make the same mistake over and over again in wars in the middle east, that is to create either unrealistic or open ended objectives. You said in march the U.S. was "on plan to defeat, destroy, and disable all of iran's meaningful military capabilities at a pace the world has never seen before. Obviously as we have discussed, that objective has not been achieved. It is not going to be achieved.
▶ 3:26:20Sec. Hegseth: Iran is more adept than even at the start of the war at hiding their capabilities or repairing after damage we have done. There is an open report when it comes to the missile sites along the strait of hormuz, 30, 33 are still operational.
▶ 3:26:37Sec. Hegseth: I would not believe all the open reports. >> I also heard you say in this hearing the objectives now seem to be more limited than they were at the outset of the war, that this is about reopening the strait of hormuz and dismantling their nuclear capabilities. The president has said he thinks iran has a right to a missile program.
▶ 3:27:02Sec. Hegseth: My question is pretty simple, is it correct that it is no longer a war objective to destroy all of their military capacities? This is what the president has said. Have our goals been simplified to reopening the strait of hormuz and to get into a negotiation over a nuclear program? I don't think you have a realistic plan to do those things. But it is important to know what we are funding. The objective is much more limited than when you made the statement in march.
▶ 3:27:33Sec. Hegseth: >> the objectives have been consistent and clear from the beginning. I would contrast it to north korea. A conventional buildup was used to heighten a nuclear capability to where it could not be contested. What iran continued to do, even after midnight hammer was trying to build that capability, to dare anyone to stop them from pursuing a nuclear weapon.
▶ 3:27:54Sec. Hegseth: Getting them for their defense capabilities, their navy, was all part of ensuring they cannot blackmail us into pursuing a nuclear capability. Laser focused on iran will never have a nuclear capability. That is a promise the president made and will keep.
▶ 3:28:11Sec. Hegseth: >> it is still a war objective, either through military action or through a diplomatic agreement to destroy and disable all of iran's meaningful military capacities, including the program.
▶ 3:28:25Sec. Hegseth: As far as talking about that from the podium at the outset of this, if we are talking about the defense industrial base, looking at the metrics or ability to make war, has been overwhelmingly destroyed. Not everything, but overwhelmingly. Do they have missiles and underground bunkers because they are a terrorist state? Sure they do. But their capacity is less than it has ever been.
▶ 3:28:50Sec. Hegseth: >> they obviously have significant capacity to effectively disrupt the integrity of the middle east and oil flows out of the middle east, and that is not going to change. Let me ask one more question, a request for supplemental funding because you don't have the funding in your base budget to do what needs to be done, which makes questions about it irrelevant.
▶ 3:29:12Sec. Hegseth: There has been a lot of attention on the modernization of the luxury jet that was gifted to the president by the government of qatar, reports suggest may be as much as $1 billion has been used for an upgrade and the plane is back in the shop for a second upgrade.
▶ 3:29:30Sec. Hegseth: Never before has an administration not made public the amount of money for an upgrade or construction contract of the presidential airplane, we don't need or want to disclose the details of that upgrade, but never before have you withheld from congress and the public the total amount of money. I think there are two important questions.
▶ 3:29:52Sec. Hegseth: Will you make public the amount of money you are spending too upgrade this plane, and can you commit to this congress and this committee that the president isn't going to take the plane with him when he leaves office? The only thing more insulting to the taxpayers is spending money on a jet they don't need would be for the president to take it with him, to take it out of our military inventory when he leaves office.
▶ 3:30:17Sec. Hegseth: The air force has done an incredible job making that a capable jet. But it's capabilities and investment are classified -- >> that is not what I'm asking. Will he disclose the amount of money publicly --
▶ 3:30:34Sec. Hegseth: I would imagine as part of the regular process that is something we will look at. But you have to look at the classification level, certain things that are not devolved for reason of natural security. >> will you commit the president will not take it with him out of federal inventory when he leaves office?
▶ 3:30:51Sec. Hegseth: That is not a decision for me to make, and we are grateful to have it in the fleet to protect the president of the united states. >> that is not an answer to the american public -- >> senator peters. >> welcome to the hearing -- >> it is senator osoff, I apologize. I went out of order.
▶ 3:31:21Sec. Hegseth: >> I will yield my time to senator osoff. >> thank you, madam chair and all of you for your testimony. Let me begin by expressing on behalf of all georgians are immense gratitude and admiration for the service members who are making tremendous sacrifices and conducting themselves with extraordinary selflessness and professionalism on behalf of the united states.
▶ 3:31:50Sec. Hegseth: Our state's unified condolences and grief for the families killed in action and the 100 wounded over the last two weeks. Thank you for your service to the nation. Mr. hegseth, you are requesting roughly $68 billion for the department through the supplemental, correct?
▶ 3:32:11Sec. Hegseth: 67 billion dollars, yes. >> yesterday, your department stated "U.S. forces struck iranian military command centers , maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defense systems to degrade iran's ability to continue attacking commercial vessels." that was a press release from your department. Is it accurate --
▶ 3:32:39Sec. Hegseth: That sounds probably accurate. >> on day 14 of this conflict, nearly five months ago, you stated iran's military had been "destroyed," and "made combat ineffective." was that an accurate statement?
▶ 3:32:56Sec. Hegseth: They did not have a navy any longer, they were sunk. Missiles were buried under their underground facilities. Overall destroyed, as far as a military assessment of iran's capabilities, it did not mean by any stretch of the imagination absolute zero.
▶ 3:33:14Sec. Hegseth: >> you stated on day 14 of this conflict, the second week of the conflict that iran's military had been "destroyed," and "made combat ineffective." was that an accurate statement?
▶ 3:33:28Sec. Hegseth: Iran's ability to challenge the united states of america to the level which we are capable of -- >> that is not what I asked. You set on day 14 the military had been "distrust" and "made combat ineffective." was that an accurate statement?
▶ 3:33:46Sec. Hegseth: What the american military has done -- >> will you answer the question? Under oath? Three weeks later, he declared victory. That was now nearly four months ago. Three weeks after you already said iran's military was destroyed and combat ineffective, you said "operation epic fury was a historic and overwhelming victory.
▶ 3:34:13Sec. Hegseth: You said iran's military had been rendered "combat ineffective for years to come." and you stated we had "achieved every single objective." were those accurate statements?
▶ 3:34:23Sec. Hegseth: It certainly was on behalf of the men and women in uniform, a historic military victory over iran.
▶ 3:34:32Sec. Hegseth: Had iran's military been rendered combat ready --
▶ 3:34:35Sec. Hegseth: They had 160 naval vessels -- >> you need to answer questions, Mr. secretary.
▶ 3:34:42Sec. Hegseth: And they don't have a defense industrial base -- describe a country that doesn't have a navy, air force, or defense industrial base, I will describe a country that doesn't have an effective military. >> Mr. secretary, you stated four months ago that iran's military had been rendered "combat ineffective for years to come." has iran's military been, for the last four months, combat ineffective?
▶ 3:35:08Sec. Hegseth: It has been set back not just years, likely decades -- >> you stated -- Mr. secretary, you stated we had "achieved every single objective." was that an accurate statement performance ago?
▶ 3:35:24Sec. Hegseth: The main objective was to ensure iran never gets a nuclear weapon. Their main sites were obliterated, we are watching over them. If they don't give them up at the table, there are other ways we can take them. >> early in the conflict on day three, you said one of those core objectives was to "destroy the missile threat." as you restated on day five, to "obliterate iran's missiles and drones." those were clearly and repeatedly stated core objectives of the campaign, which for months ago you
▶ 3:35:55Sec. Hegseth: Declared had been completed victoriously with every single objective achieved. Were those objectives achieved four months ago?
▶ 3:36:02Sec. Hegseth: No one stated every single missile was gone. Ultimately combat ineffective means they are not able to dig them out -- it doesn't mean they don't have underground facilities where they put missiles and hold onto them because the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism. We never expected they would stop having capabilities to shoot.
▶ 3:36:21Sec. Hegseth: The question is at scale against an opponent like the united states of america, which went out to toe with -- >> you stated on march 8, day nine of the war, who assured the american people of iran's surrender. Does it remain your prediction?
▶ 3:36:39Sec. Hegseth: Ultimately, iran will never have a nuclear weapon and threatened the united states of america. That remains the objective. >> to review, you will not answer whether your statement made on the 14th day of the war that iran's military had been "destroyed and made combat ineffective" was a truthful statement to the american people as you sit here and ask for tens of billions more? >> the senator's time has expired.
▶ 3:37:02Sec. Hegseth: We had a historic campaign against -- >> answer the question. >> senator peters is recognized. >> thank you. Thank you to our witnesses here today. I want to begin by echoing my colleague's comments we have heard through the hearing. Mourning the loss of american service members who were killed in action.
▶ 3:37:31Sec. Hegseth: My thoughts are with their families, a service who remains missing, and with all those injured during the strikes. I will continue to pray for their families. Secretary hegseth, over the course of the war with iran, I have repeatedly expressed concerns regarding the administration's lack of winning strategy and repeated contradictions about the state of the war.
▶ 3:37:59Sec. Hegseth: It doesn't help that you and your president continue to mislead the american people. You and the president have repeatedly said the war, as we have heard over and over again, is almost over, or already won. The president alone has said the war is almost over more than 30 times. On march 1, the president said it will be done in four or five weeks. On march 9, he said the war was very complete. On april 8, he declared total and complete victory.
▶ 3:38:29Sec. Hegseth: 100%, no question about it. On the same day, you declared operation epic fury was a historic and overwhelming victory on the battlefield, a capital v military victory by any measure. Yet today, july 21, we have soldiers whose remains are sadly going to be returned to their grieving families tomorrow. Clearly the war is not over yet. After months of conflict, our strategy to win remains unclear.
▶ 3:39:00Sec. Hegseth: I have long said the united states has those strongest military in the world, and I have no doubt our brave servicemembers can execute any mission and prevail in any battle. But without a clear winning strategy, we are at risk of being in another forever war that will put our service members in continued harm's way and continue to cost taxpayers of dollars.
▶ 3:39:25Sec. Hegseth: Secretary hegseth, despite your failure to win this war, you are back before congress asking for almost $70 billion in additional funding, asking the american people for a blank check because once again, the trump administration's efforts have been an utter and complete failure to win this war to this point. My question for you is how is this strategy different than what we have seen in the past? So far we have not seen a strategy that is successful.
▶ 3:39:55Sec. Hegseth: You mentioned nuclear material is the primary goal of the war. It still exists. We have not dealt with that issue yet. You talk about disruption and missiles. The missiles we saw hit recent targets are actually somehow more lethal, more deadly, more maneuverable than what we have seen in the past. They are obviously improving their munitions. The strait of hormuz is still closed, reminding everybody, it was open before the war.
▶ 3:40:23Sec. Hegseth: Prices were lower for everybody until the war, and it still remains closed, and tragically, service members, our war fighters who we care deeply about are still dying. What is different? >> I think you saying it is a failure is a reckless. The sacrifice of troops are making that iran never gets a nuclear weapon.
▶ 3:40:52Sec. Hegseth: Shame on you and others and you want to turn around and say you support the war fighting -- either you do or you don't. >> is the nuclear material so there?
▶ 3:41:07Sec. Hegseth: I can get you there to talk to the americans and how committed they are to this effort and making sure iran doesn't threaten their family with a nuclear weapon. That is the kind of intensity are war fighters have about making sure that iran is not capable -- >> if you listen to my comments, he would have heard me say how amazing our war fighters are --
▶ 3:41:20Sec. Hegseth: I heard failure -- I heard exactly what he said. >> I will tell you how I used the word failure, I use the word failure to their leaders. You are the failure, not the men and women on the front line, not the men and women who hold up their honor with distinction. But if there is a lack of a winning strategy, they are in harm's way, their leaders have failed them. That is what is happening. We have political leadership, you, you don't have a strategy or a long-term plan to actually win this war. Win the war.
▶ 3:41:51Sec. Hegseth: The men and women will be able to do it, but they need to have leadership. When will you show leadership?
▶ 3:41:56Sec. Hegseth: While you show leadership and stand up to your fellow democrats who won't fund the troops, who play partisan part -- politics while you don't give us the money. You want to talk about the troops -- to fund our department, because you have trump derangement syndrome and can't actually commit to anything meaningful. I put this on you, senator. >> you have over $1 trillion, you are asking for 1.5 trillion dollars, it is not a question of money, it is a question of leadership and understanding what it takes to actually win --
▶ 3:42:30Sec. Hegseth: Political cowardice of democrats who will not fund the troops. >> the senator's time has expired. This will conclude our hearing. I want to thank our witnesses for being present and for the committee to what has certainly been a vigorous discussion.
▶ 3:42:51Sec. Hegseth: For any senators who wish to submit additional questions for the record, those questions will be due in seven days on tuesday, july 28 by 5:00 p.m.. I'm going to ask the vice chair if she has any final questions. >> I do very quickly.
▶ 3:43:16Sec. Hegseth: This was really an important discussion about the state of this tragic and disastrous war and how we should be spending american tax dollars on families instead of this presidents war of choice. Unfortunately, the hearing has done exceptionally little to justify the president's request or instill confidence. This administration has an exit plan for a strategy to end the war, the war has cost us a lot, the last thing we should do is rubberstamp another $70 billion to help trump keep it going.
▶ 3:43:48Sec. Hegseth: >> vice chair, I'm compelled to respond to your comments by pointing out that it is the duty of this committee to have a hearing when we have this kind of supplemental request. I think that your comment was not appropriate. This hearing is now adjourned.