VIDEO: Carbajal Questions Defense Secretary Hegseth at Committee Hearing

During today's House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Department of Defense FY27 Budget Request, U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on a wide range of topics: the cost of the ongoing war in Iran, the Administration lifting sanctions on Russian oil, and the new Department of Defense vaccine rules.

Download a video clip of the full exchange here.

A rough transcript is available below:

Chairman Rogers

Times expired, and I recognize the gentleman from California, Mr. Carbajal.

Rep. Carbajal

Thank you, Mr. Chair and thank you General Caine, Mr. Hegseth, for being here today. I associate myself with the comments of Ranking Member Smith and Mr. Garamendi, so that I won't repeat a lot of what has been said. Mr. Hegseth, I recently realized that we have something in common. I'm also a fan of Pulp Fiction, and no, the movie is not an accurate portrayal of the Bible. You know what I'm talking about. This President and his administration has...have claimed to be the most transparent of all time. With that in mind, I love to get some straightforward, straightforward answers today. Some estimates show that the Trump administration's war of choice in Iran is costing taxpayers around $1 billion every day. In addition to spending taxpayer money on a war they don't want, it is also driving up costs. The cost of gas, while the cost of living is skyrocketing under this administration's policies. To me, and I assume to the American people, it is unclear why we started this war, how it will end, and what anyone gained from it. Mr. Hegseth, about how much money has been spent on this war to date, and how much more do you anticipate spending?

Secretary Hegseth

Well, as our comptroller laid out, the estimate is less than 25 billion at this point, as far as an expenditure. And the question I would ask this committee is, what is it worth to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon, considering the radical ambitions of that regime? I mean, almost every member of this dais at some point has said whether...

Rep. Carbajal

Thank you for your answer, I'll proceed to my next question, thank you for your answer...

Secretary Hegseth

President Trump is the one that's willing to make sure it doesn't happen.

Rep. Carbajal

Supposedly, we had taken care of the nuclear capability last time around, and now this war, we're at it again, because obviously we said we did, but we didn't... [...] I want to reclaim my time. We know that the cost of oil and gas has gone up as a direct result of this war, and the American people are feeling that pain at the pump. In an attempt to alleviate the high price of gas caused directly by this President, he lifted sanctions on Russian oil. The way I see it, this is a massive gift to Putin and Russia's struggling economy. Mr. Hegseth, is there any concern that easing sanctions against Russia will allow Putin to continue funding Russia's illegal war against Ukraine?

Secretary Hegseth

Well, we've seen Russia's and Putin's inability to make effective battlefield gains, just like their inability to defend the Maduro regime with the billions of dollars of systems the Russians sent to Venezuela in order to defend him, which were defeated in 15 minutes. So Russia's military capabilities are no match....

Rep. Carbajal

And you don't believe easing the sanctions is helping Russia?

Secretary Hegseth

We have the best energy team in the planet at....

Rep. Carbajal

It's a simple yes or no. This is not deja vu. It's a simple yes or no...

Secretary Hegseth

You understand the energy dominance that this administration has unleashed?

Rep. Carbajal

Last week, it was announced that the Department of Defense is no longer requiring service members to get their annual flu shot. Now this is an easy one for you. It's a softball. Don't screw it up. The rationale was to, and I quote, restore freedom to our joint force. This has been a requirement since 1950 because it is effective at preventing the spread of flu among our troops. It's not some new woke requirement, as you like to lean on for much of your rhetoric. This decision is actively making our military less safe... Mr. Hegseth, at this time, there are plans. Are there plans to remove the mandatory requirement of other vaccinations like measles, mumps, and polio?

Secretary Hegseth

We made very clear in our announcement that it applies to service members having a choice as it pertains to the flu vaccine.

Rep. Carbajal

Don't you think that's a little reckless?

Secretary Hegseth

No, I think allowing well informed Americans who serve our country to make a choice is not reckless, and commanders will still have latitude, say for a submarine or something else, to make a decision for a unit about whether it could be mandatory in a particular circumstance. But overall, our troops have earned the right to be able to choose about something like that related to their health.

Rep. Carbajal

Mr. Hegseth, I stand by what I said last time you were here, you were incompetent, then you're incompetent now, and you're the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to incompetence with that. Mr. Chairman, I yield back.