War cost US over $37 billion, Hegseth says, as strikes on Iran continue for 11 straight days

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said the war against Iran has cost $37.5 billion so far as he defended President Donald Trump's funding request during a heated Senate hearing. Hegseth faced protests and sharp questioning ahead of a proposed $95 billion Republican budget package, which includes military funding alongside aid for farmers and voting law changes backed by the White House.Appearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hegseth urged lawmakers to back the administration's emergency defence spending request, saying the additional funding was essential to sustain military operations."The supplemental war funding is an 'urgent, necessary' injection of funds," Hegseth said, adding that Trump's proposed $1.5 trillion defence budget represented "a generational investment in th