Hegseth set for Senate grilling as Iran war sours

12:30 Report Hegseth set for Senate grilling as Iran war sours Comments: by Cate Martel - 07/21/26 12:38 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Cate Martel - 07/21/26 12:38 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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It’s Tuesday. Who else has been following The Boston Red Sox’s historic 14-game winning streak (!) What a wild turnaround. ⚾

In today’s issue:

Hegseth to plead for more Iran funding
Lebanon president meets with Trump
Iran war funds may run out in weeks
GOP’s alarm over imploding U.S.-Iran ceasefire
DNC meets to discuss 2028 voting calendar
Which lettuce is safe to eat?

🥩 THE IRAN WAR

It’s grilling weather on Capitol Hill:

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

The U.S.-Iran ceasefire is falling apart, and the Trump administration is expected to face a lot of questions about it today as the risk of a full-scale war grows.

Gas prices have jumped again, and the Strait of Hormuz is in limbo.

First up: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is at the White House right now, meeting with President Trump. Remember, the U.S. and Lebanon are not engaged in a conflict, but Israel and Lebanon are. Aoun needs Trump to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to withdraw Israeli troops from Lebanon.

Then: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to testify today to ask lawmakers for more money to fund the ongoing war with Iran. Gen. Dan Caine, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is also scheduled to appear.

💻 Watch the hearing live at 2:30 p.m.

Three U.S. service members were recently killed in the conflict and the Pentagon announced that nearly 100 service members have been injured this month, ever since the strikes resumed.

The president’s own party doesn’t have the appetite for a drawn-out war. The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports that GOP lawmakers are alarmed about the devolving situation. They’re trying to defend their House and Senate majorities and worry this unpopular war may set them back.

Even a number of a Fox News pundits are urging Trump to find a way out of the war with Iran, acknowledging it’s a political liability.

Read Bolton’s reporting: ‘GOP faces new alarm over Iran as ceasefire implodes’

The Pentagon is already running short on cash for the war: The Washington Post reports the Pentagon is already cutting back on training and maintenance because of the budget crunch. Some funds are expected to run out within weeks.

💬 Follow today’s live blog

MEANWHILE — THE TRUMP ADMIN. IS UNDOING EFFORTS TO REDUCE ENERGY PRICES:

“The Trump administration is dismantling a wide array of federal energy-efficiency programs at the same time that war in Iran is raising oil prices, climate change is fueling record heat that is driving up demand for air conditioning and new data centers are straining America’s electricity supply.” (The New York Times)

💡ON CAPITOL HILL

The GOP’s sneaky plan to avoid a shutdown:

The House usually passes a government funding measure in September, often right before the Sept. 30 deadline. Most years, there is a last-minute scramble with a looming threat of a shutdown.

But House Republican leaders are trying their best to avoid that scenario. It’s *right* before the midterms, after all. GOP leaders are moving the funding bill now — in July — to get it out of the way before the August recess. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will kick things off today with a procedural vote to get the process moving.

Will this plan work?: That’s a big unknown, but House GOP leaders are hopeful.

Will the Senate follow?: That’s unclear. Senators will stay in Washington for two more weeks after the House leaves, but it’s not clear whether they will move the funding package.

Read Sudiksha Kochi’s reporting on how this could play out: ‘GOP seeks to avoid, for once, the shutdown trap’

📰 OTHER NEWS:

Happening this week:

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is set to vote this week to recommend which states will vote first in the 2028 Democratic presidential primary.

Details: The DNC’s rules and bylaws committee are meeting at the Salamander Hotel on Thursday and Friday.

What happens next?: A source told The Hill’s Amie Parnes the recommendation will go to a full DNC vote in Austin, Texas, in August.

➤ QUICK HITS:

— Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson (D), who is likely to replace Graham Platner in the Maine Senate race, has a fiery temper, according to new reporting in The Washington Post.

— Nearly half of Americans say they think the Supreme Court is ruling based on ideology, not law, according to a new Washington Post/Ipsos survey.

➤ MORE READS:

Mark Leibovich in The Atlantic: The Wingman: Mark Kelly’s résumé and the goodwill he’s accrued as Gabby Giffords’s spouse have granted him a high level of admiration. Can it translate to excitement for a presidential campaign?

The Wall Street Journal: The Man Who Runs the IRS Spied on Colleagues When He Worked at JPMorgan

The Hill: GOP faces real danger in voter enthusiasm gap

The Washington Post: The truth about recycling that messy peanut butter jar

Puck News: The Accidental Senator: Jon Ossoff has seemingly reinvented himself as a ready-made 2028 presidential candidate, from his new suits and beefier physique to his studied, Obama-like cadence. Inside the Senate, however, colleagues describe a very different Ossoff: quiet, studious, and with surprisingly few close friends in Washington.

The Sacramento Bee: ‘I am closing the door’: Katie Porter to leave politics, become a book influencer

🗓️ COMING UP

The House and Senate are in. President Trump is at the White House. (All times EDT)

12:30 p.m.: Senators meet for weekly caucus meetings. Votes are expected at some point today. 📆 Today’s agenda

1:30 p.m.: First House votes of the day. 📆 Today’s agenda

4 p.m.: Trump participates in a policy meeting.

5 p.m.: Trump meets with Republican leaders.

5:30 p.m.: Trump participates in another policy meeting.

8:30 p.m.: Last House votes for the day.

July 28-29: Funeral services for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Details from his sister’s Senate office

🐝 INTERNET BUZZ

🍭🍟 Celebrate: Today is National Junk Food Day!

🥬 So, do we have to avoid *all* lettuce right now?: The FDA had a false positive for sample of lettuce from Taylor Farms containing the cyclospora parasite. But the acting deputy commissioner for food said on Monday that evidence is starting to “converge” on the same primary suspect: shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms. It’s sold under different names, but here are some lettuces to avoid.

🤖 What if I told you some of the influencers you follow are not real…: The New York Times discovered hundreds of doctors and wellness influencers on social media that are actually AI-generated. And some of them are pushing supplements. Read more