WATCH LIVE: Hegseth, Caine testify on Trump's funding request before Senate as Iran war reignites

By — Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-hegseth-caine-testify-on-trumps-funding-request-before-senate-as-iran-war-reignites Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH LIVE: Hegseth, Caine testify on Trump's funding request before Senate as Iran war reignites Politics Jul 21, 2026 3:05 PM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators are preparing to grill Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Tuesday over the U.S. war against Iran, as Republicans push a $95 billion budget package to fund the military, along with aid to farmers and voting law changes that are top White House priorities. The Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to hold a hearing at 2:30 p.m. EDT. Watch live in the video player above. Hegseth, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins are set to testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee days after the military 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. Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the panel, is warning that the conflict with Iran "could be another forever war." Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. President Donald Trump "has told us over 40 times now that a deal is near, and the war will be over soon," Murray will say, according to the senator's prepared remarks. "But now, he's asking for $70 billion more — and for us to just trust him it'll all work out fine." War funds make up the bulk of the GOP budget plan War funding makes up the bulk of the GOP's new budget proposal, one last priority package the Republicans hope to launch before lawmakers recess to campaign for the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. It also includes $10 billion in aid for famers struggling under Trump's tariffs and $10 billion for voter law changes that are likely to include new ID requirements, none of it paid for with offsets. 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, U.S. munitions are running low amid the onslaught of American missile strikes and Trump has shifted away from his own campaign promise not to draw the U.S. into prolonged military conflicts. Nevertheless, Trump has showed no signs of backing off the war, and the Republicans have largely refused to confront his strategy, question his objectives or use Congress' power of the purse or war powers authority to halt the conflict. "The commander in chief and the whole Department of War are working very hard to bring this to a resolution," said House Speaker Mike Johnson at his weekly press conference Tuesday. "There's