Pete Hegseth bashes Trump critics, defends increased budget request for defence

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth slammed the critics of President Donald Trump and the Iran war and defended the budget request for the military for the next fiscal year, which begins in October. “President Trump's War Department has begun to turn the lights back on in manufacturing towns across this country, and once again, forging a lethal arsenal of freedom where critical supply chains are threatened,” he said.

“Every policy we pursue, every budgetary item we request, serves to ensure the department remains laser focused on increasing lethality and survivability of our forces from the front lines to the factory floors. This is a historic budget,” he added.

Also Read: US Central Command preparing for ‘short and powerful’ wave of strikes on Iran

Hegseth said that the military’s “biggest challenge, biggest adversary” is “the reckless, feckless and defeatist words congressional Democrats and some Republicans” over the Iran war.

Hegseth attacks House Democrat for calling Iran ‘a quagmire’

The defence secretary also attacked Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., for calling Iran a quagmire. “The way you stain the troops when you tell them, two months in ... congressman, you should know better. Shame on you, calling this a quagmire, two months in the effort,” Hegseth said.

Also Read: Two stabbed in North London’s high Jewish population area of Golders Green; suspect arrested

“What they’ve undertaken, what they’ve succeeded, the success on the battlefield that could create strategic opportunities, the courage of a president to confront a nuclear Iran, and you call it a quagmire, handing propaganda to our enemies,” he said to Garamendi. “Shame on you for that statement — and statements like that are reckless to our troops.”

“Your hatred for President Trump blinds you to the truth of the success of this mission and the historic stakes that the president is addressing, which the American people support,” Hegseth said.

Also Read: Putin condemns shooting, discusses Iran War, Ukraine ceasefire with Trump in phone call

This budget will ensure the United States continues to maintain the world’s most powerful and capable military as we grapple with a complex threat environment across multiple theaters... this budget also includes a historic troop pay increase—7% for lower enlisted, Hegseth said.

“Under the previous administration, we were focused on offshoring and outsourcing—riddled with cost overruns and degraded capabilities. Under the leadership of the President of the United States, our builder-in-chief, we are reversing this systemic decay and putting our defence industrial base back on a wartime footing,” he added.