Pete Hegseth to Testify Before Congress for First Time Since Iran Conflict Began

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to testify publicly before the House Armed Services Committee on April 29, marking the first opportunity for members of Congress to question him on camera since the conflict with Iran began.

The scheduled hearing, first revealed by a source familiar with the plans to MS NOW’s Mychael Schnell and David Rohde, is officially focused on the Defense Department’s annual budget request, but lawmakers are expected to press for answers on the administration’s military strategy on Iran.

Last week, all 27 Democratic members of the committee wrote to chair Mike Rogers (R-MI), urging immediate public testimony, stating: “We believe the military action against Iran necessitates that the Department of Defense immediately testify, in an open setting, before the House Armed Services Committee.”

After a closed-door meeting between Hegseth and senior lawmakers last week, even some Republicans have begun to publicly voice concerns over the administration’s transparency, the MS NOW journalists report. Rogers himself broke with the White House to say, “The administration needs to be more forthcoming.”

“I feel like the people they sent over here to brief us are being very constrained and that needs to change,” he said. “They need to be able to give us more answers. We deserve more answers than we’re given.”

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