Tax dollars ‘lit on fire’ for ‘disastrous’ Iran war: Democrats to excoriate Hegseth and Caine

Published July 21, 2026 2:20pm ET



War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will face difficult questions Tuesday from Democrats in particular, who continue to oppose the ongoing war against Iran, which has seen a resumption of daily U.S. strikes over the last week and a half.

“Tax dollars we could’ve spent helping people afford health care—or building new housing—have been lit on fire by a president who blundered us into a disastrous war. And the costs to families’ bank accounts are staggering. The American people want to see a quick and strategic end to this war, not $70 billion of their tax dollars sent to keep it going,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), vice chairwoman of the Senate appropriations committee, will say in her opening remarks, excerpts of which were obtained by the Washington Examiner.

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