# Hegseth seeks to justify $1.5T budget while defending $25B war in Iran

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-excerpt-742145/hegseth-seeks-to-justify-1-5t-budget-while-defending-25b-war-in-iran
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-excerpt-742145/hegseth-seeks-to-justify-1-5t-budget-while-defending-25b-war-in-iran.md
Podcast: [The Excerpt](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-excerpt-742145)
Published: 2026-05-01T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://rss.art19.com/episodes/d08813e7-8f30-4c4d-8814-58546aba1948.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0
Audio file: https://rss.art19.com/episodes/d08813e7-8f30-4c4d-8814-58546aba1948.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0
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Duration seconds: 1039

## Resource

today marks the 60th day since the start of the U.S. war in Iran. According to the War Powers Resolution of 1973, the president must now seek congressional approval to continue military operations in the war on Iran, a war whose price tag stands at $25 billion with no clear objective or end in sight. USA TODAY Congressional Reporter Zach Schermele joins The Excerpt to break down this historic inflection point. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to podcasts@usatoday.com . Episode transcript  available here .  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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## Transcript

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