Ro Khanna Grills Hegseth on $1.5T Defense Budget: “Who Pays?”
April 30, 2026
Rep. Ro Khanna just went scorched earth on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a high-stakes House Armed Services Committee hearing. While the Trump administration pushes for a record-breaking $1.5 trillion defense budget, Khanna is exposing the brutal reality that the D.C. elite are trying to ignore: the astronomical cost of the war in Iran is being offloaded directly onto the backs of American families.
The exchange was pure fire. When Khanna pressed for the real numbers on how war-driven inflation is gutting household budgets, Hegseth tried to dismiss it as gotcha questions about domestic issues. Khanna’s response? He dropped the receipts.
How much more are we supposed to pay before we say enough is enough?
SHAME ON THE DISCONNECT! PEOPLE OVER PENTAGON!
Source: @cnn
#PeteHegseth #IranWar #USPolitics #WarCosts #america
النص العربي:
Rep. Ro Khanna: 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 the Iran war?
Pete Hegseth: I would simply ask you what the cost is of Iranian nuclear bomb…
Rep. Ro Khanna: I’m going to give you that opportunity.
Pete Hegseth: I would simply ask you…You’re playing gotcha questions about domestic things. I’m not…
Rep. Ro Khanna: You’re saying it’s a gotcha question to ask what it’s going to be in terms of the increase cost of gas and food?
Pete Hegseth: Why won’t you ask what it cost to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb?
Rep. Ro Khanna: I give you that, sir, but let me….
Pete Hegseth: What would it cost? What would you pay to ensure Iran doesn’t get a nuclear bomb? What would you pay?
Rep. Ro Khanna: Sir, let me give you this point. You’re saying that your operation is preventing a nuclear Iran. Will you acknowledge that there is an economic cost to the American people for doing what you believe is necessary to make Iran denuclear? Will you acknowledge the economic cost?
Pete Hegseth: We have an incredible economic team that’s managing this better than…
Rep. Ro Khanna: Yeah, but to acknowledge there is a cost.
Pete Hegseth: But what the previous administration did with the economy, what the previous administration did with the inflation.
Rep. Ro Khanna: You don’t even know what the… You know what’s upsetting, I reclaim my time. You know what, Secretary? I reclaim my time, Sir.
Pete Hegseth: What the previous administration did with Covid? And you’re going to lecture this administration about the economy?
Rep. Ro Khanna: You know what’s upsetting?
Pete Hegseth: Incredible.
Rep. Ro Khanna: You didn’t even do the analysis on how much it’s costing the American people. It’s one thing if you said, okay it cost the American people $5,000, but we think it’s worth it. That’s what we’ve done in World War Two. In other words, here’s what it cost you. You got to pay for it. You don’t even know what the average American is paying. 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. You’re 25 billion number is totally off. It’s the incompetence.
