ICYMI: Rounds Discusses Funding for Iran Conflict with DoD Officials at Appropriations Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) discussed the President's supplemental funding request of $87.6 billion for national defense with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

"I had the opportunity to serve as governor of South Dakota for eight years. During that time, we deployed over 5,000 young men and women into harm's way, National Guard members from South Dakota," said Rounds. "I attended their departure ceremonies, I attended their welcome home ceremonies, and I attended 31 funerals. One of the main reasons that I decided to come to Washington was because I never wanted to see young men and women going into harm's way again if they didn't have the best leadership, the best training and the best equipment possible."

"You've offered a supplemental request, and I recognize that it's part of a $1.5 trillion overall. But is this enough money to get the job done, or is this going to just get us far enough until we've got to come back in here?" asked Rounds.

"I can't answer the question on what it will cost because the enemy has a vote. What I'll commit to you, as this plays out, we'll make sure that the Congress is informed," answered Caine.

Click HERE to watch Rounds' full questioning. Read a transcript of the exchange below.

+++

Rounds: Thank you, Madam Chair. I had the opportunity to serve as governor of South Dakota for eight years. During that time, we deployed over 5,000 young men and women into harm's way, National Guard members from South Dakota.

I attended their departure ceremonies, I attended their welcome home ceremonies, and I attended 31 funerals. One of the main reasons that I decided to come to Washington was because I never wanted to see young men and women going into harm's way again if they didn't have the best leadership, the best training and the best equipment possible.

Now, this body, the Senate, with regard to the Iranian war, to date this body has chosen not to impose war power limitations on the president, nor have we pushed for the withdrawal of forces from the theater. I think the decision to take out Iran's nuclear program and their missile production capacity was the right one, and it should have been done a long time ago. But when the president did that, we also assumed that there would be risk involved. And when you put young men and women in harm's way, you want to do everything you can to make sure that you get in, you get the job done and you get out. I think that's what we talk about.

Now today, it has been since February that we now have the Iranians that are shooting back. We haven't finished the job. I think the question that the American people have is when the difficult decision comes, because I don't think diplomacy is necessarily working, and I think most people would say we've got more issues in front of us before this is complete. For General Caine, when the time comes, and the president is asking for the decisions about the options available to him to appropriately end this war favorable to the United States and to take care of this problem permanently, are you prepared to provide him with the appropriate options that he is going to have to make a decision to choose from?

Caine: Sir, I always provide the president with appropriate options and risks that he can choose from.

Rounds: And those options that he will have to choose from will cost money, and that's our role here. Because if we don't do it right, young men and women die. The question to you, sir, is this. You've offered a supplemental request, and I recognize that it's part of a $1.5 trillion overall. But is this enough money to get the job done, or is this going to just get us far enough until we've got to come back in here? And in the meantime, we may very well not have these young men and women out of harm's way yet. That's my question.

Caine: Sir, I want to first start with recognizing your 31 fallen from home and mourn their losses. We carefully consider the use of military force every single day. And the most important thing that I do is make sure that the president and the other leaders understand the risks and carefully consider the Dover test, a place you've been many times. And that is, are we willing to go to Dover, as we will tomorrow, to bring back the fallen? I can't answer the question on what it will cost because the enemy has a vote. What I'll commit to you, as this plays out, we'll make sure that the Congress is informed. But because I'm not quite sure how this is going to play out yet, it would be unwise for me to comment on what a future cost may or may not be, depending on what they choose.

Rounds: In general, you will provide a plan to Congress at whatever the appropriate classification level is on what resources are required to execute what the president's intent will be to successfully end this conflict.

Caine: Sir, I will always make sure that, as we have, that we're moving data as appropriate to Congress. Yes, sir.

Rounds: Let me come back in just in terms of follow up on this a little bit. Some have criticized Operation Epic Fury for expending many of our munitions stockpiles. Were our munitions, the inventories of those munitions, and the capacity of our munitions industrial base sufficient for great power competition with near peer adversaries like China prior to Operation Epic Fury? Secretary Hegseth?

Hegseth: Senator, as I laid out, because the previous administration short funding shortfalls, munitions transferred to Ukraine and not replaced, and then ignoring threats, it built a lot of risk that requires this kind of investment. So you'd look at the $67 billion alongside the remainder for $1.5 billion. That's the kind of generational investment that not just matches peer adversaries, but far surpasses them, which I think is your expectation, having been to those ceremonies, which is mine, having been to them and going to them, is that we give everything possible to the warfighter that they deserve.

###