Democratic Senators Grill Sec. Hegseth Over Iran War | WSJ News

Why do you continue to prosecute a war that the American people aren't behind? Uh first of all, I appreciate the opportunity for that closed session where we had a unsurprisingly very different discussion than we have here with the cameras on.

Um we support this >> Because my job is to represent New Yorkers and I can tell you when I talk to them all across my state, they are furious and they expect me to explain to them why they are furious.

Um I believe we do have the support of the American people and we have briefed regularly what this mission looks like and why it's a critically important that we undertake it. And I would remind you and this that we're 2

months in to an effort and many congressional Democrats, as I pointed out, want to declare defeat 2 months in. Iraq took how many years? Afghanistan took how many years? And they were nebulous missions that people went along with.

This is different. This is a defined mission set that we have had great success in pursuing against a >> okay, but you don't care whether the American people are supporting this war. You don't care whether the American people are supporting this

war. You don't care whether the American people are supporting this war. You don't care whether the American people are supporting this war.

You don't care whether the American people are supporting this war. You don't care whether the American people are supporting this war. >> When the American people and their the American people are

quite smart. They understand and see through spin. They know that a regime that says death to America, that seeks nuclear weapons and the ability to deliver Did they lie about the range of their missiles?

Cuz I I saw 4,000 km missile get shot at >> The War Powers Resolution specifies that a war initiated by a president without congressional approval must be concluded within 60 days. It can be extended by an additional 30 days if,

quote, the president determines and certifies to Congress in writing that unavoidable military necessity respecting the safety of the US armed forces requires the continued use of such armed forces in the course of bringing about a prompt removal of such forces.

We're right at the 60-day deadline. Is the president intending to either seek congressional authorization for the war in Iran or send us the legally required certification that he needs an additional 30 days to remove US forces from the war?

On on on Iran, ultimately I would I would defer to the White House and White House counsel on that. However, we are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire.

So we're not in That's it's our understanding, just so you know. >> Okay, well, I I do not believe the statute would support that. I think the 60 days runs maybe tomorrow and it's

going to pose a really important legal question for the administration. There we have serious constitutional concerns and we don't want to layer those with additional statutory concerns. I yield back, Mr.

Chair. Isn't it fair to say that that the war in Iran, just like the Ukraine war before it and still today, hasn't caused any challenges with munitions the way some of our Democratic colleagues would say, but it's exposed a

decades-old problem of brittleness and fragility in our defense industrial base before you and General Keane took over and that we're trying to address right Um in many ways that's precisely what we're trying to address.