Mashadipati: Washington Edition: Questions for Hegseth

I’m Jonathan Tamari, senior Washington reporter for Bloomberg Government, and each weekday I’ll be coming to you with inside-the-room reporting and insights that reveal what’s really happening in Washington—and how it impacts you. Email me with feedback and comments here. If this newsletter was forwarded to you sign up here.

Today: Pete Hegseth’s high-stakes hearings, the king’s speech, and Democrats ready their subpoenas.

Questions for Hegseth

It’s the start of two big days for Pete Hegseth.

For the first time since the Iran war began, the secretary of defense (along with Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine) will sit for public Congressional hearings, in the House today and Senate tomorrow.

It’s a chance for Donald Trump’s top military aides to make a case for the war’s progress, but also to face hostile questions under oath about an unpopular conflict.

“What is the plan?” Representative Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, asked in a statement previewing his line of inquiry.

The hearings are technically about the $1.5 trillion budget proposed for the Department of Defense. But the pair will appear just before the war reaches the 60-day mark on Friday, a notable landmark under the war powers law.

“It is a point of reflection,” Republican Senator Mike Rounds told me.

Pete Hegseth speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon on April 24. Photographer: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images — Pete Hegseth speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon on April 24.

Here are key elements to watch:

Iran update: Does Hegseth offer a timeline or exit strategy? Does he leave the door open to resume full-fledged bombing? Or deploying ground troops?

Expect Democrats to also press for an accounting of the cost in weaponry, dollars, and readiness elsewhere. The administration so far has refused to provide even an estimate of the price tag.
Big money: Even without war costs, the Pentagon is seeking a spending increase of nearly 50%. Some Republicans have questioned the request, unsure if the DOD has an actual plan for all that money, my colleagues Courtney McBride and Erik Wasson report.

But key House and Senate GOP chairmen are supportive. “This budget fully funds both sustainment and modernization,” House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers plans to say today, according to a copy of his remarks.
Hegseth’s standing: The combative secretary will likely face Democratic questions about his job performance, including his recent jaunt in an Apache helicopter alongside Kid Rock, and his removal of top Army and Navy officials.

Real danger, however, would flash if Republicans join in criticism — as some did to help sink former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. Trump has dismissed three cabinet secretaries since March.

Also potentially explosive: All six Democrats who shot a video urging military personnel to disobey illegal orders will have chances to question Hegseth. He has tried to investigate one of them, former Navy pilot and now Senator Mark Kelly.

Top News

Trump posted overnight that Iran “better get smart soon” as the US continues to stick with a naval blockade of Iranian ports, in a bid to choke-off Tehran’s oil exports and force it back to the negotiating table.

King Charles urged the U.S. to maintain its global leadership and support NATO and Ukraine in a remarkably pointed speech to Congress.

Uncertainty around the economic outlook and a leadership transition loom large over this week’s Federal Reserve meeting.

Stephen Miller, Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski can expect subpoenas if Democrats win back the House, Representative Robert Garcia, in line to lead the powerful Oversight Committee, told Maeve Sheehey.

Republicans have offered few details on how they’ll oversee billions of dollars planned for immigration enforcement, even as some in the GOP push for more accountability measures.

North Korea’s nuclear arsenal is nearing a crucial tipping point: being big enough to possibly overwhelm U.S. ground-based missile defenses.

OPEC faces a fight to stay relevant after the UAE stunned the cartel by leaving.

Elon Musk: defender of charity. The world’s richest man testified that he’s suing OpenAI because of its shift from a charity to for-profit entity, saying “it’s not okay to steal a charity.”

Elizabeth Warren is pushing RFK Jr. to provide copies of deals the Trump administration made with drug manufacturers and to make information on generic versions of drugs available on TrumpRx, Erin Durkin scoops.

Watch This

Representative Sean Casten (D-IL) says King Charles’s speech upholds the rule of law in a “subtle” but clear way.

Go Deeper With BGOV

The House Rules Committee ended a marathon session last night with a 9-4 vote allowing the chamber to consider a host of hot-button legislative issues. A deluge of deadlines is mounting as GOP leaders try to wrangle legislation covering national security, BGOV’s legislative analysts write.