Pete Hegseth

By Sabiu Abdullahi

A Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, Thomas Massie, has initiated impeachment proceedings against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over his role in the US military campaign against Iran.

Massie, who represents Kentucky, introduced articles of impeachment on the House floor on Monday, accusing Hegseth of abusing his office and carrying out unlawful orders to launch a war against a foreign country.

CNN reported that lawmakers would have to vote on the impeachment motion by Wednesday.

Presenting the articles, Massie accused the defence secretary of knowingly implementing illegal directives to initiate military action against another nation.

He argued that Hegseth had become a threat to the US Constitution and had acted in a manner inconsistent with his official responsibilities and the rule of law.

Hegseth has remained firm in his position, while President Donald Trump has publicly defended him against calls for his removal. The Pentagon chief is also expected to address the controversy at a news conference on Tuesday.

The impeachment effort comes amid mounting criticism of Hegseth following the Republican Party’s poor performance in the 2026 midterm elections.

According to CNN, some Republican lawmakers and allies have blamed the party’s electoral losses partly on the war with Iran.

Critics have accused Hegseth of playing a key role in persuading Trump to launch the military campaign without a clearly defined exit strategy. They have also questioned his assessment of how quickly the United States could achieve its military objectives.

US Vice President JD Vance reportedly attributed the Republican setbacks to the conflict, while Trump acknowledged that the war had contributed to rising petrol prices. The president, however, maintained that the decision to attack Iran was justified.

Although impeachment requires only a simple majority in the House of Representatives, removing Hegseth from office would require a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate.

CNN reported that Massie’s proposal could attract sufficient support in the House if Democrats, the lawmaker himself and a small number of Republicans back it. However, securing the required votes in the Senate would be considerably more difficult.

Hegseth, 46, is a former Fox News presenter and US Army National Guard officer who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay.

He graduated from Princeton University in 2003 before obtaining a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has said the war involving the US, Israel and Iran has so far cost $37.5 billion, according to the latest official estimate released by the Pentagon.

Hegseth disclosed the figure on Tuesday during a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee. He appeared alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, to defend a proposed $1.5 trillion US defence budget. The request includes nearly $70 billion for military operations linked to the conflict with Iran.

“The estimate we have as of today is $37.5bn,” Hegseth said in response to a question from Democratic Senator Dick Durbin.

He explained that the estimate covers some operational and maintenance expenses through the end of September. However, he did not provide a detailed breakdown of the spending.

The latest estimate is about $8 billion higher than the $29 billion figure the administration of President Donald Trump announced in May.

Other estimates place the economic impact much higher. Moody’s Analytics, for example, has estimated that the war could cost the US economy as much as $150 billion after accounting for higher domestic energy prices and other indirect effects.

The hearing took place as hostilities between the US and Iran continued after a memorandum of understanding that had paused attacks since June 17 collapsed last week.

On Monday, Trump said Iran would “pay” after two US soldiers were killed over the weekend. In recent days, he has also threatened further military action, including strikes on Iranian energy facilities, bridges and a deeply buried nuclear-linked site known as Pickaxe Mountain.

The Pentagon said the conflict has also increased pressure on US weapons supplies.

Hegseth told lawmakers that additional funding would help “to expand production lines and accelerate delivery of high-demand munitions. We’re talking about solid rocket motors, JDAMs [Joint Direct Attack Munition], hypersonics, and counter-drone capabilities”.

He also warned that military readiness could suffer if Congress failed to approve the requested funding.

“Training in the future 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,” he said.

Democratic Senator Patty Murray criticised the broad spending proposal, which also includes funding for National Guard deployments in Washington, DC, military operations against suspected drug smugglers in the Caribbean and border security missions.

“So I’ll be blunt,” she said. “The truth is, your request does not make a lot of sense.”

By Sabiu Abdullahi

United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has taken the unusual step of blocking the promotion of four Army officers to the rank of one-star general, a move that has drawn concern among senior military officials.

According to officials familiar with the development, two of the affected officers are Black, while the other two are women.

According to a report by The New York Times, the names were removed from a promotion list that includes about three dozen officers, most of whom are white men.

Sources said Hegseth had, for months, urged top Army leaders, including Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll, to drop the officers from the list. Driscoll reportedly declined on several occasions, citing the officers’ long-standing records of distinguished service.

The situation changed earlier this month when Hegseth acted on his own to strike the names from the list. It remains unclear whether he has the legal authority to make such a decision.

The list is now under review at the White House and is expected to be forwarded to the Senate for final approval. Officials noted that some Black and female officers are still included.

The decision has attracted rare attention at this level, as promotion lists for one-star generals do not usually face this degree of intervention from a defense secretary. The development has also highlighted divisions within the military leadership.

Hegseth has defended his broader stance on military reforms. He has argued that he is working to overhaul a system he believes was shaped by “foolish,” “reckless” and “woke” leaders from previous administrations.

However, critics have raised concerns that his actions, particularly toward minority and female officers, could undermine trust in a promotion process that is expected to remain neutral and based on merit.