TechFlow News, May 12: According to foreign media reports, U.S. lawmakers responsible for overseeing Pentagon spending pressed Defense Secretary Hegseth on Tuesday over the escalating costs of the conflict with Iran. Rosa DeLauro, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, stated, “The administration has consistently lacked transparency since this conflict began.” She noted that costs are mounting daily while the administration’s conflict strategy remains unclear—and hostile actions appear poised to flare up again at any moment.
Representative Betty McCollum of Minnesota, the senior Democrat on the Defense Subcommittee, pointed out that earlier estimates placed the war’s cost at $25 billion and demanded that senior Pentagon officials “dig deeper” for more details. McCollum also asked Hegseth whether he had plans to withdraw or redeploy forces from the region if Congress failed to authorize continued military action under the War Powers Act. “We have a plan to escalate, if necessary; we have a plan to withdraw, if necessary; and we have a plan to relocate assets, if necessary,” Hegseth replied, adding that he did not wish to disclose such details publicly. (Jinshi)
