‘Your Ego & Testosterone…’: Schumer UNLOADS On Hegseth Over Iran War ‘Failure’ | Watch

[00:00:00]Mr. President, it is an absolute disgrace that Pete Hegsth has withheld casualty numbers in the Iran war from the American public. One of the biggest questions Pete Hgsth has to answer today is why he was out marketing testosterone supplements for our troops last week while withholding casualty numbers in the Iran war from the American people.

[00:00:26]We learned yesterday that the Pentagon failed to disclose that our troops sustained nearly a hundred injuries in the past few weeks of the Iran war.

[00:00:37][clears throat] Sending our troops in harm's way is the most serious thing we can do as a nation. But Hegathth, Trump, and Rubio certainly don't treat it that way. Hegath is hiding more than he's sharing these days. Whether it's the number of wounded, the damage to our bases overseas, or the immense ballooning costs of this Iran war blunder, we need answers. But Hexath wants to give some to the GOP alone.

[00:01:05]Hexath is reportedly attending a House Republican meeting today to brief their members on the war without providing Democrats the same access. There's no room for this administration's partisan pettiness when our service members lives are at stake. If that seems to be a trademark of both heads and Trump, I'm calling on Pete Hexth, Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump to tell the entire Congress everything they're telling Republicans about the Iran War. Both chambers, both parties. Everything they tell Republicans behind closed doors needs to be shared in public during today's testimony.

[00:01:45]But I don't need to hear from HGth to know how just how poorly this war is going. If we truly care about our service members well-being, we ought to be focused on getting them out of harm's way, not on their tes testosterone levels. We will be forcing another vote this week on our war powers resolution to bring our troops home and end this war.

[00:02:10]Senate Republicans, don't let Trump off the hook. The Iran war isn't a game. It's not some trifle Trump, Hex, Seth, and Rubio can brush under the rug. Trump's reckless war is an absolute catastrophe. It ought to it must end, and Republicans should join us in making sure that that happens. So far crickets from them. [clears throat] Corruption.

[00:02:34]Every single day we see a new example of Trump's rampant corruption.

[00:02:41]Senate Democrats are putting all of Trump's scams under the magnifying glass in the coming weeks. And Trump's new truth API stands out as one of his most corrupt gifts yet.

[00:02:56]Every day there's a new example of these kinds of grifts that Trump gets involved in. Instead of draining the swamp like he promised, Trump has filled it to the brim. Now look at this. Trump is charging admission for the low price of $100,000 a month an investor can turn a profit off early access to Trump's marketmoving posts.

[00:03:25]Trump imposes new tariffs.

[00:03:28]Sup subscribers can short their stocks before anyone else. Trump announces a new contract. Subscribers know where to invest. Trump shakes up the Fed.

[00:03:39]Subscribers get to reposition before the rest of the market blinks.

[00:03:45]Meanwhile, Trump breaks in hundreds of millions of dollars in subscription fees.

[00:03:51]Truth API is the exact definition of insider trading. It's textbook paytoplay. And this is what Donald Trump spends his time doing. And remember, traders need only a millisecond head start to make a fortune. Just one millisecond and they can make a lot of money the way trading works these days.

[00:04:15]As always, Trump's corruption benefits the rich at the expense of working families. How many American families do you think can afford $100,000 a month to get a leg up in the market? And Trump is doing what he always does, selling out America, American interests, and the American people to the highest bidder.

[00:04:37]Republicans ought to be up in arms about Truth API and the latest news about Trump's foreign jet. Trump's $400 million Qatari jet is the biggest single bribe an American president has ever accepted in our history. Let me repeat that. Trump's $400 million Qatari jet is the single biggest bribe an American president has been has ever accepted in history. And I've been warning about this for months.

[00:05:08]And somehow the American people still get an invoice. It'll repeatedly cost the taxpayer as much as a billion dollars to re- retrofit Trump's plane for presidential use. We just learned that his luxury jet is grounded until it can be maxed out to meet the same standards as the old Air Force One. Give me a break.

[00:05:33]Commercial airline tickets cost are costs are up 27% over the last year. And Trump wants the American people to pay to get his airborne palace off the ground. Trump ought to rename the plane Air Force One. It's not Air Force One, it's Air Force One.

[00:05:52]Now, on the Benjamin Flowers nomination, [clears throat] the nomination of Benjamin Flowers ought to concern every member of this body. Flowers checks virtually every box the MAGA expects from its judges. America, this is who Trump's putting on the bench. people far away from what you believe. Flowers has fought against birthright citizenship, against abortion rights, against the results of the 2020 election. What Flowers has fought for is also disturbing. In 2021 in Ohio, Flowers tried to defend a $250,000 cap on damages for a child sex abuse survivor, a cap the Ohio Supreme Court deemed arbitrary and unreasonable.

[00:06:38]Flowers is also on record saying that a president can simply ignore a court's reasoning when he disagrees with it.

[00:06:46]Election [snorts] denial, attacks on reproductive freedom, siding with abusers over survivors, and the president over the Constitution. Is this the kind of president Republicans want on one of the highest courts in the land? I urge my colleagues to oppose this nomination >> to rebuild. But my point is ultimately if you can't spend on a timeline that makes sense, >> why do you need to come back and ask for more money? Wouldn't it be better to spend money that you already have? And one of the things I noted was, or at least I think that this supplemental doesn't include funding to repair damage to our bases or to our military infrastructure in the region. And I have not heard that we've gotten the full extent of any of those damage estimates.

[00:07:35]So, should we expect another request to address that u military construction costs? And at what point do you stop asking Americans to foot the bill for a war they don't support on top of an inflated budget um request and billions in reconciliation funds that you still haven't spent?

[00:07:55]Well, Senator, I obviously don't agree with your characterization of that.

[00:07:59]>> I appreciate that, but you didn't ask, but I want you to answer my question. I know you don't agree with my characterization. I don't agree with yours either.

[00:08:07]>> Well, I thank you, Madam Chair. Secretary Hegsathth, since you last testified before this committee, we finally received the spend plan for the 400 million FY26 appropriation for Ukraine security assistance. This funding was passed back in January and now there are only three months left in this fiscal year. And while I appreciate that we now see what most of the funding is intended for, I just heard from the CEO of one of the manufacturers of the defense articles that are contained in the spin plan that they not only haven't received funding, but they haven't even seen a contract. So, when are we going to see a contract for those defense articles that are contained in the spend plan for Iraq or I'm sorry, for Ukraine?

[00:08:58]>> For Ukraine. Uh, Senator, I'll have to get back to you on the specifics of the timeline of that. I'll talk to our policy shop as well as the Yukcom commander determine where that's at.

[00:09:06]>> Well, you've told this committee that you barely spent half of the 150 billion in reconciliation funding. And if you still have 75 billion available, why are you asking the American people to absorb the cost of a war they don't support instead of asking for transfer authority for unspent reconciliation funding?

[00:09:26]Especially if you can't even get $400 million in Ukraine funding at the door.

[00:09:32]Um, as I mentioned earlier, Senator, that money from the one big beautiful bill is otherwise allocated to the rebuilding of our military with priorities of the president like Golden Dome for America and hypersonics and other munitions investments that we made upfront as we tried to adjust the Biden bud budget into an America first budget.

[00:09:48]And so reallocating that away from those priorities is Robin Peter to pay Paul.

[00:09:52]Those are allocated to rebuild. But my point is ultimately we're committed if you can't spend on a timeline that >> makes sense.

[00:10:01]Why do you need to come back and ask for more money? Wouldn't it be better to spend money that you already have? And one of the things I noted was, or at least I think that this supplemental doesn't include funding to repair damage to our bases or to our military infrastructure in the region. And I have not heard that we've gotten the full extent of any of those damage estimates.

[00:10:24]So, should we expect another request to address that u military construction costs? And at what point do you stop asking Americans to foot the bill for a war they don't support on top of an inflated budget um request and billions in reconciliation funds that you still haven't spent?

[00:10:44]>> Well, Senator, I obviously don't agree with your characterization of that.

[00:10:48]>> I appreciate that, but you didn't ask but I want you to answer my question. I know you don't agree with my characterization. I don't agree with yours either.

[00:10:55]>> Well, I one of the reason I do I care I take issue with that characterization is something that Senator Durban said when he talked about Ukraine and he talked about winning and I appreciate as much as anybody winning a war. But I sit in front of a committee that wants to talk about winning a war that's been going on for four years and talks about strategic defeat of a conflict that's been going on for four month month months to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. I want I I I would hope for some perspective in this town of the historic nature of what President Trump is undertaking. Do you want radical Islamists to have >> I don't want to hear because I have limited time.

[00:11:28]>> I don't understand.

[00:11:29]>> If you can't answer my question, then I will move on to my next question.

[00:11:34]Secretary Rollins, the timber industry has also been hard hit, as you know, by trade wars, by drought, by wildfires, by other natural disasters that are increasingly common. Um, in New Hampshire, which is the second most heavily forested state in the nation.

[00:11:52]The one of the things that we really need, as you know, because we've had this conversation, is a research program and forest service staffing on the ground um in a variety of ways, but particularly at Bartlett Experimental forest. Um these small investments in research and staffing and sound management help make the forest economies healthier and more competitive. I very much appreciate you're having staff visit Bartlett last week with my staff and with staff from the governor's office, but can you commit to restoring staffing at Bartlett and to keeping the facilities there open now that you've seen um the critical nature of that research?

[00:12:37]>> Why don't I follow up with you? I have not gotten a report from their visit.

[00:12:41]So, I would like to do that first. But obviously, you and I have been in a continuing conversation about that. The good news, there's no doubt our timber industry is in distress and has been for a long time. The fact that we import 90% or something from other countries of our lumber needs is crazy. We're changing that. But the good news, we had more board feet sold last year than any time in 30 years. This year, we're going to exceed that target again. So, we're making the right moves on this. But there's no doubt that research is important to that as we've discussed and I'll follow up with our team and then we'll we'll uh reconnect.

[00:13:14]>> Thank you. I appreciate that. As you pointed out, research is critical to ensuring that the timber economy continues to be successful. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[00:13:23]>> Senator Kennedy.

[00:13:29]>> Thank Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you all for being here today. Uh, General, in [snorts] in the war between Russia and Ukraine, who do we want to win?

[00:13:44]>> Uh, sir, I want I want Ukraine to win.

[00:13:48]>> Is Russia America's friend?

[00:13:51]>> I'm sorry, sir. I couldn't quite hear your question.

[00:13:52]>> Is Russia America's friend?

[00:13:56]Uh, >> I I think that depends on your definition of friend. I think it's a complicated relationship.

[00:14:04]But no, I don't think they're our friends.

[00:14:08]>> Thank you.

[00:14:13]>> If we could cut off Russia's cash flow, which s suspend which depends substantially on its sale of oil, would that help Ukraine win? Sir, I think militarily anytime you can restrict uh resources and cash flows against uh an adversary.

[00:14:35]>> I I have so much respect for you. Yes, sir.

[00:14:38]>> But I have so little time.

[00:14:40]>> Yes, sir. I I'll try to be briefer.

[00:14:42]>> Give me succinct answers.

[00:14:44]>> Yes, sir. It would it would assist a uh but help.

[00:14:47]>> Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

[00:14:48]>> Okay.

[00:14:50]Um, if we could stop people, entities, and countries from buying Russia's oil, that would help cut off its cash flow, wouldn't it?

[00:15:04]>> Yes, sir.

[00:15:06]>> We have a bill to do that, as I'm sure you're aware.

[00:15:13]We have the votes today to pass it.

[00:15:18]overwhelmingly.

[00:15:21]I have also have enormous respect and admiration for our majority leader, Senator Thoon.

[00:15:31]But I hope everybody on this panel will today contact Senator Thun and ask him to bring that bill to the floor.

[00:15:45]We should vote on it at a minimum of next week.

[00:15:54]Some of my colleagues, General want America to just stop in Iran, end the blockade, bring all of our our our warriors home.

[00:16:09]What would be the consequences of that in your estimation?

[00:16:16]>> Sir, I think uh termination criteria is always a political decision. However, I assess that uh Iran will continue to be a challenge moving forward. So, we have to uh be thoughtful.

[00:16:29]>> Will they put tolls on the straight?

[00:16:31]>> I don't know, sir. That's a decision that's a hypothetical and will depend on what happens.

[00:16:35]>> It's not hypothetical. We've got a blockade to stop them.

[00:16:39]>> We do, sir. That's putting economic pressure on >> I'm not asking you for I'm not trying to get you in trouble. I know your advice to the president is uh is is private, but this is serious as four heart attacks and a stroke.

[00:16:57]Now, what happens if we come home and end the blockade to the world?

[00:17:06]Sir, Iran uh has the potential to continue to be a threat and we're we will need to prepare military.

[00:17:14]>> Will they straight? I >> Sir, that's a hypothetical question and I don't know the answer to that.

[00:17:19]>> Oh, it's not hypothetical. You come we come home. It's not going to be hypothetical. You know that, General.

[00:17:26]And I do too and and I I appreciate your discretion, but we're down to it. We need some hard answers and some straight talk.

[00:17:37]What'll happen, Pete?

[00:17:41][clears throat] >> Senator, I would I would agree with the chairman, but the likely outcome is they would try to impose their will on the on the waterways in ways that uh that the world would not like.

[00:17:49]>> Call it a toll, call it a fee, call it an exchange, call it control. They would do something that they would try to hold to that issue. Yes, sir. Would they would they try to uh to to redevel uh commence development again of a nuclear warhead?

[00:18:05]Um part of the reason President Trump had to have the courage to do what he did after Midnight Hammer is that they didn't give up their ambitions even though their nuclear sites had been obliterated. So this is a regime hellbent on nuclear ambitions and President Trump.

[00:18:19]>> We need straight answers.

[00:18:23]Do we have the ability to destroy whatever is underneath pickaxe mountain?

[00:18:33]A lot of Senator, a lot of our capabilities are classified, but if anybody in the world can reach anything on this on God's given God's green earth, it's the United States military, the most powerful military in the world.

[00:18:42]It's all about options and trade-offs.

[00:18:43]All right.