This morning, Senator Mark Kelly was among the Senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) to question Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The session combined technical budget scrutiny with accountability questions.
The hearing was a Senate Armed Services Committee oversight session focused on the Defense Department’s priorities, readiness and budgeting. Senators questioned Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine about the department’s budget request (including roughly $71 billion for the nuclear triad and NC3), efforts to modernize the nuclear deterrent and command-and-control systems, the resilience of the defense industrial base and munitions production, and measures taken to minimize casualties during Operation Epic Fury.
Kelly sharply challenged Hegseth over the pace and cost of U.S. munitions use in the Middle East and what Kelly called an alarming rhetoric from the Pentagon. Kelly pressed Hegseth about massive expenditures of high-end weapons — citing public claims that more than 13,000 targets had been struck and asking how long it will take to replenish expensive interceptors and missiles. Hegseth and other witnesses pointed to multibillion-dollar plans to expand production — including figures Hegseth described as roughly $238 billion for long‑range fires plus about $40 billion for hypersonics, bringing munitions needs closer to $330 billion — but declined to give a single, specific timeline, saying replacement timelines “depend on the weapon system” and could range from months to years as new plants are built.
Kelly also demanded clarity about Hegseth’s public comments, pressing him to explain whether his March remark — “we will keep pushing, keep advancing, no quarter, no mercy for our enemies” — meant the department was condoning actions that could violate the law of war. Hegseth replied, “We fight to win, and we follow the law,” but did not explicitly disavow the earlier phrasing. After Hegseth’s answer, Kelly exploded: “The things you say matter. And your response here, right now, makes it clear to the American people exactly why you are not right for this job,” a blistering rebuke that underscored senators’ broader concerns over unclear strategic goals, the economic costs borne by Americans and whether current Pentagon leadership has provided adequate transparency about how and why U.S. forces are employing scarce, expensive munitions. Hegseth responded, "It makes it clear to our enemies, Senator."
Kelly then pressed on the scale and specifics of the department’s $1.535 trillion budget during a second round of questioning, demanding to know where the massive increase in defense spending would be allocated and whether detailed tradeoffs had been worked out in advance. Kelly flagged headline items and costly new initiatives — including the White House-backed “Golden Dome” air- and missile‑defense concept — and warned that space‑based interceptors face hard physics that favor offense over defense. He challenged Hegseth on how long it would take to replace expended munitions and whether the department had a concrete, weapon‑by‑weapon plan that justified the overall price tag.
Hegseth defended the request as the product of a rigorous, department‑wide process and framed it as a necessary “generational commitment,” itemizing major allocations — roughly $65 billion for shipbuilding, $120 billion for the defense industrial base, $331 billion for munitions, $44 billion for quality‑of‑life programs and $71 billion for the nuclear deterrent — while blaming prior under-investment.
Kelly pushed back, urging the Pentagon to reassess certain programs and prioritize low‑cost munitions and platform‑specific capabilities for Special Operations and A2/AD penetration, saying some proposed systems “we either don't need or it's not going to work.”
Just yesterday, Hegseth faced questions about Iran in his first congressional appearance since the war began.
While Republicans focused on the details of military budgeting and voiced support for the Iran operation, Democrats grilled Hegseth about the ballooning costs of the war.
There's a heated history between the two. The dispute began after Sen. Mark Kelly participated in a video urging service members to refuse unlawful orders. Hegseth publicly condemned the video, saying Kelly’s statements undermined military discipline, and issued a formal letter of censure that could lead to a review of Kelly’s retired rank and a reduction in his retirement pay.
In December, Kelly accused president Donald Trump of using intimidation to silence critics, called for investigations into Department of Defense actions, and vowed not to be deterred after what he described as death threats and an effort to trigger a court‑martial by tweet.
In January, Kelly then filed a federal lawsuit accusing Hegseth and the Defense Department of unconstitutional retaliation and asking a court to block any efforts to demote him or cut his pension. A federal judge temporarily blocked the Pentagon from carrying out punitive steps while the legal fight proceeded, and the Department (under Hegseth) moved to appeal that order — prolonging the courtroom dispute.
Related: WATCH: Mark Kelly speaks out on Senate floor: 'I will not stand for it' - Senator sues Hegseth, Defense Dept.
The spat has spilled into the public sphere: Kelly has publicly criticized Hegseth’s qualifications and actions, supporters have staged visible shows of solidarity (including a billboard in Tucson), and both sides have continued legal and political maneuvering — turning what began as disagreement over speech and military norms into an ongoing litigation and political confrontation.
In February, a Washington, D.C., federal grand jury declined to indict Senators Kelly, Slotkin and the four other Democratic lawmakers in connection with the video that urged service members to refuse "illegal orders," according to multiple news reports. Senators Kelly and Slotkin accused President Donald Trump and his allies of weaponizing the justice system to silence critics, saying a grand jury “refused” to indict them.
Related: WATCH: "They tried to jail us — the grand jury said no": Kelly, Slotkin slam Trump-backed indictment attempt
Choice-of-SteinsGate on April 30th, 2026 at 23:03 UTC »
There aren't enough characters available in a reddit post to adequately summarize this man's incompetence, his all around unpleasantness and his complete unsuitability for the job at hand.
Aside from his day to day violation of Christian ethics, his co-opting of Christianity for the purpose of justifying war crimes, and the overtly undemocratic nature of it all despite his insistence that he is a godly man and "patriot..."
Let's start with him touting America's "air dominance" just before one of our fighter planes was shot down by Iranian air defense and two of our soldiers had to be rescued behind enemy lines.
He's so inept that he couldn't even get insider trading right. It's been revealed that his broker was going to wager on government action and invest millions in a defense fund before the US attack on Iran, but Hegseth didn't realize the fund wasn't available yet.
He also openly defied a federal judge who ruled that the Pentagon violated the first amendment by restricting press access to his "department of war."
Hegseth demanded reporters sign a pledge and agree to only publishing information that is pre-authorized. These journalists were barred from the Pentagon Halls, and some were even labeled as "security and safety threats."
Most outlets refused to sign. Reporters who did not comply had their credentials revoked. The New York Times sued the Pentagon and won.
Reporting indicates that Hegseth's actions were driven by an intense and irrational paranoia. Meaning that the person currently charged with overseeing our nation's largest federal agency and America's defense policy is out of his mind.
He also threatened to revoke press access to the DoD because the media published "unflattering" photos of him. How insecure.
As another example, Pete the Skeet stood in front of the press and demanded that they put a constant positive spin on Trump's war or else Brendan Carr will come for their broadcast licenses.
This was his response, during a press conference no less, to CNN reporting on Trump's miscalculation of Iran's ability to control the Strait of Hormuz. A legitimate story that even if inaccurate, would still be protected under the first amendment, and wouldn't hold a candle to the obscene amount of propaganda that's being disseminated by the White House daily.
And it doesn't stop there. KEGseth has repeatedly shirked his duties while openly flouting constitutional norms.
Of course this can't go without mentioning "Signalgate," when Pete "accidentally" added The Atlantic's editor in chief to a Signal group chat where top Trump administration officials were discussing military strike plans against Houthi targets in Yemen.
Also, a recent report revealed that Hegseth cut offices that could have helped prevent the US strike that killed 160 CHILDREN in Iran.
So he's a war criminal too.
Pete is the most incompetent and unqualified "Secretary of defense war" in history.
He has also been a Fox News contributor since 2014. So much for "merit based" hiring. Sounds more like favoritism to me.
There's also his part in helping to orchestrate operation epic FAILURE. A war conducted under false pretenses.
A war that was waged without consulting with our allies or Congress.
An illegal war that ignores lessons from history about what happens when we try "regime change" in the middle east.
A war with little to no support from the American people, and a conflict that has ALWAYS been one of choice, not of necessity.
The Trump cabinet's messaging has been so inconsistent that most Americans don't even understand why we're at war with Iran in the first place.
Let's not forget Pete's part in helping Trump carry out the summary executions of alleged "drug smugglers" without evidence or legal justification.
Extrajudicial killings that were only committed so Trump and his "Department of War" could make the case for military escalation, foreign conflict and regime change for oil.
Even then, in Venezuela, we removed Maduro from power but kept the oppressive regime intact in exchange for their cooperation. So much for liberating the people...
Hegseth's incompetence and lack of qualifications clearly highlights the rampant cronyism and hypocrisy of a Trump administration insisting that hiring should be based on "merit." There's nothing merit based about Pete's appointment.
Hegseth has also been accused of being an extremist. A fellow service member once called him an "insider threat" after seeing a tattoo of his that's linked to white supremacist groups.
He was also once pulled from his National Guard duties at Joe Biden's inauguration after concerns were raised from members of his unit.
Hegseth has blamed these criticisms on "woke" (how original), even writing a book titled "The War on Warriors" that tries to blame a "woke agenda" and "DEI" for undermining him and the armed forces.
But Hegseth is only using this rhetoric to downplay his own shortcomings, to shift responsibility on others, to cope with his insecurities, and to defend his white nationalist sympathies.
Then there was his outspoken and controversial support for the Blackwater contractors who killed 14 unarmed Iraqi Civilians during the 2007 Nisour Square massacre.
Hegseth lobbied Trump to pardon these contractors, which Trump ultimately did.
As far as his behavior goes, Hegseth previously led a partisan organization called "Concerned Veteran for America," which has strong ties to the Koch Network (the actual right-wing embodiment of George Soros). Hegseth was forced out of the group due to "mismanagement of funds, sexual impropriety and reports of intoxicated behavior."
In fact, he was also booted from another conservative group, "Veterans for Freedom," for similar complaints.
A report about Hegseth's time as president of CVA describes him as being:
Hegseth has also been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in California after a speaking engagement. It was reported that he barred the door to her hotel room and took away her cell phone before violating her.
Although Hegseth denied the allegations, he did pay a settlement to the accuser. Questions were raised when his account of the events changed while under investigation. The settlement also included a confidentiality agreement. In other words, he's a f-cking sex abuser too.
He has also been vocal in the past about his opposition to women serving in combat roles. Women who fear that Hegseth will undermine efforts to prevent sexual abuse and harassment in the military.
In the name of eliminating "wokeness" and "DEI," Hegseth's DOD also fired persons of color from high ranking military positions. People with distinguished careers and extensive military experience, making them much more qualified than Pete for their positions.
You say "DEI hire," I say "DUI hire."
Hegseth fired General CQ Brown—chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—which was part of a broader purge of top military officials all suspected of being so-called "DEI" hires.
Following one of Trump's EOs, the DOD also began eliminating "DEI content" by archiving pages that highlighted the contributions of women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and minorities.
They flagged over 26,000 images and countless web pages for deletion. This included tributes to historical figures and black military heroes.
The Pentagon also targeted pages honoring the Navajo Code Talkers and the segregated Japanese 442nd regimental combat team that fought in WWII.
The DOD has also overseen a comprehensive purge of "DEI related" terms from government platforms, property and online pages.
This included the banning words such as "justice," "dignity," "respect," "equality," "inequality," "female," "women," "socioeconomic," "underprivileged," and "cultural heritage," among many others.
This effort only showcases the GOP's blatant hypocrisy as they continue to cry about "censorship," "free speech," and "reverse discrimination" while they continue to violate the first amendment and constitional rights of anti-Trump voices, critics and even protestors.
Republicans ignore this glaring contradiction and portray themselves as victims of widespread, anti-white and anti-christian bias.
They're under the impression that their hegemony is collapsing because the inequitable structures in place are facing resistance and because the status quo that has benefited them for so long is under threat.
But in reality, they currently have a moratorium on power and are actively consolidating that power at an alarming rate. Yet still they resent a "woke," "radical left," secular boogeyman and blame immigrants and minorities for all of this nation's problems.
Smithy2232 on April 30th, 2026 at 22:30 UTC »
Good for Kelly. Hegseth, the truth hurts, and you know you are not right for this job.
Trump and all his people are just posers. Shameful.
B-Z_B-S on April 30th, 2026 at 22:27 UTC »
Pete Hegseth wasn't even good at being a Fox News co-host. He was drunk on the job all the time, and he got them a lawsuit when he threw an axe and it hit someone's leg.