Secretary of War Pete Hegseth completely destroyed an angry Democrat during a hearing before the House Armed Forces Committee when he, in classic form, pushed back against “gotcha” questions being asked by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA). The heated exchange started when Khanna asked Hegseth to explain how the conflict with Iran would impact American households economically.
The questioning started off cordial enough with Khanna saying, “Hi, Secretary Hegseth. Tomorrow is two months since the war has begun. You’ve testified that it was 25 billion in cost in terms of the munitions we used and what we paid for it, but when you add to that the damage that was done to our bases in today’s dollars for buying replacement munitions and replacement aircraft, what has the total cost been over the last 60 days?”
“That number right now reflects the total cost that we’re seeing, including buying in today’s dollars, the new weapons and replacements, and including the damage there,” Hegseth responded. Khanna then asked, “That’s your testimony?” The secretary then said, “There’s adjustments to that. I would defer to the Comptroller on that.”
“And how much are you seeing in terms of, are you asking in terms of supplemental funding just for the Iran mission from this committee?” Khanna asked Hegseth. It was at this point during the conversation that the temperature in the room started to heat up. Later during Khanna’s questioning, he asked the secretary of war, “Do you know how much it will cost Americans in terms of their increased cost in gas and food over the next year because of Iran?”
According to a report from The Hill, this was the moment that Hegseth decided he’d had enough of the liberal nonsense, referring to what Khanna asked as a “gotcha” question, firing back, “What would you pay to ensure Iran does not get a nuclear bomb?” Khanna then went on to cite estimates that the war with Iran could cost upwards of $631 billion, which equals $5,000 per U.S. household.
“Will you acknowledge that there is an economic cost to the American people for doing what you believe is necessary to make Iran denuclear?” Khanna asked the secretary. “We have an incredible economic team that’s managing this better than what the previous administration,” Hegseth was attempting to say before Khanna interrupted him.
“You don’t know what we paid in terms of the missiles that hit the Iranian school. You don’t know what we’re paying in terms of gas. You don’t know what we’re paying in terms of food. Your $25 billion number is totally off,” Khanna stated. The hold that Iran has had over the Strait of Hormuz has led to a massive increase in the cost of gas across the country, boosting it to an average of $4.18 per gallon.
"*" indicates required fields
Khanna then tried to press Hegseth about specifics concerning Iran’s nuclear enrichment. “Do you know how much the enriched uranium was after you ripped up the JCPOA?” Khanna asked, making a reference to the Obama nuclear deal, which conservatives considered a complete disaster. “The JCPOA was a terrible deal that allowed Iran on a path to a nuclear bomb,” Hegseth fired back.
Hegseth then flipped the script and slammed Khanna’s home state of California for their high gas prices due to the “horrible policies” of the Democratic Party. “I’ll give you a number. I know that, as was stated early on, the price of gas is twice as expensive in California, your home state, as anywhere else in the country, because the horrible policies your state pursues,” the secretary said.
Knowing he had been bested, Khanna got one last jab in on the secretary, going on to slam him for allegedly betraying the MAGA base, saying, “You know what? I’m sad. I’m sad for all the people who voted for Trump, I’m sad for them, because you betrayed them. You betrayed a lot of that MAGA base,” Khanna said. “And you know, who knows that? JD Vance knows that.”
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video