WASHINGTON — Sen. Susan Collins opened a hearing Tuesday by calling it “deeply troubling” that the Pentagon has blocked or denied promotions to women and minorities.
“This 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,” Collins said.
The hearing put Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth before senators facing questions and protests over the U.S. war with Iran, which he estimated has cost $37.5 billion so far. Republicans are preparing a $95 billion budget package to fund the military and other White House priorities.
Hegseth’s new cost estimate, up from earlier assessments, came during at times fiery testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee that is chaired by Collins. Protesters interrupted his opening remarks several times. The hearing came days after the Pentagon announced that three more American service members have died in the conflict, bringing the death toll to 17, and that more than 100 have been injured since early July.
Hegseth said the supplemental war funding is an “urgent, necessary” injection of money, and called President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget a generational investment in the military.
“Without these funds, we face critical shortfalls,” Hegseth testified.
But Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the panel, warned of “another forever war.”
“This war is now spiraling out of control again,” Murray said in her opening remarks.
Most Americans continue to disapprove of how Trump is handling Iran, according to an AP-NORC poll. Gas prices have spiked as Iran works to control oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, and U.S. munitions are running low from the pace of American missile strikes.
The spending fight also carries direct stakes for Collins’ own reelection bid this fall, which has been shaken up this month after the exit of Democratic nominee Graham Platner following a rape allegation. He is on track to be replaced on the ballot by former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, who dominated weekend caucuses that are crucial to picking the nominee.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins also testified before the panel. The proposed budget package includes $10 billion for farm aid and $10 billion for voting law changes.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said Hegseth has been busy promoting his plan for testosterone screenings for the troops rather than disclosing the latest service member injuries in the war with Iran. Nearly 450 have been injured since the start of the war.
Senators have pressed Hegseth to release the Pentagon’s report on a deadly attack on an Iran primary school at the start of the war and threatened to withhold his own travel budget unless he complies.
This week, the Senate will consider another war powers resolution, having voted nearly a dozen times to try to halt the conflict. No resolution has cleared both chambers to be sent to the president’s desk.
BDN writer Michael Shepherd contributed to this report.