Republican senators are increasingly voicing doubts about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s leadership as the war with Iran stretches into its fifth month with no resolution in sight.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) delivered the sharpest public rebuke, telling The Hill he no longer has confidence in President Donald Trump’s Pentagon chief, describing him as erratic, insecure and inexperienced.
“I don’t have any confidence in him anymore,” said Tillis, who is retiring. “I think he’s all over the place — he’s accelerating the retirement or forcing out some of the most distinguished leaders in the DOD that we have.”
“I think he’s got a massive insecurity complex, he has a lack of experience in large organizations, he micromanages too much,” Tillis added. “He’s lost my confidence.”
A crisis of confidence is building within the Senate GOP conference, according to Tillis, with other senators likely just one incident away from speaking out themselves.
That sentiment was echoed privately by other Republicans.
One senator, granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said concerns about Hegseth’s standing are filtering up from within the Pentagon itself and spreading to Capitol Hill. Another GOP senator pointed to apparent strategic miscalculations, including a failure to anticipate the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s willingness to strike U.S. allies such as Jordan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) publicly criticized the recent departure of senior military officials during a hearing with Hegseth, calling the situation troubling and saying she still wants clarity on the administration’s overall strategy and endgame for the war.
Cost concerns are compounding the unease. Hegseth told lawmakers the conflict has cost roughly $37.5 billion, a figure well below independent estimates from Moody’s Analytics putting the true cost above $130 billion. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) said many members remain frustrated by the lack of transparency around the numbers.
Despite the criticism, some defense hawks argue the answer is more aggression, not less. Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-MS) is urging Trump to escalate strikes to finish the campaign, while Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) argued the U.S. has the military strength to force Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz without further concessions.
Still, patience is thinning. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) said she believes the public is growing weary of a war Trump initially predicted would last only a few weeks. With Republicans divided over both strategy and Hegseth’s leadership, the path forward for additional military funding — and Hegseth’s own standing — remains uncertain.
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