Hegseth seeks to justify $1.5T budget while defending $25B war in Iran

Hegseth seeks to justify $1.5T budget while defending $25B war in Iran

From The Excerpt by USA TODAY

May 1, 2026 · 17 min

About this episode

Zach Schermele discusses the implications of the War Powers Resolution as the U.S. war in Iran reaches a critical point.

today marks the 60th day since the start of the U.S. war in Iran. According to the War Powers Resolution of 1973, the president must now seek congressional approval to continue military operations in the war on Iran, a war whose price tag stands at $25 billion with no clear objective or end in sight. USA TODAY Congressional Reporter Zach Schermele joins The Excerpt to break down this historic inflection point. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to podcasts@usatoday.com . Episode transcript  available here .  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

People in this episode

Guest: Zach Schermele

Topics covered

  • U.S. war in Iran
  • budget justification
  • congressional approval
  • military operations
  • War Powers Resolution

Keywords

  • Iran
  • U.S. war
  • budget
  • War Powers Resolution
  • congressional approval
  • military operations
  • Zach Schermele

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: USA TODAY

Books & works: War Powers Resolution of 1973

Places: Iran

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