WASHINGTON — After King Charles III, who gave a rare address to a joint session of Congress, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth received the most attention on Capitol Hill this week.
Hegseth spent two days being grilled by members of the House Armed Services Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee, in often combative exchanges that largely centered on the war in Iran.
Democrats on the panels focused their questions on the economic impact of the war on everyday Americans, especially Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz — through which notable quantities of oil, fertilizer and other commodities flow — which has caused prices to rise.
Hegseth, who derided Democrats as “the biggest adversary we face at this point” because of their scrutiny of the war, deflected questions about an “endgame” of hostilities with Iran, which on Friday will have lasted 60 days.
Related: Minnesota lawmakers who want to oust Trump, Hegseth face long odds
The hearings were intended to focus on the Trump administration’s record $1.5 trillion proposal for the defense budget, which has been boosted by the cost of the war.
Jules W. Hurst III, the Pentagon’s acting comptroller, testified on Wednesday that the Iran war has already cost $25 billion.
But other issues ruled the day. Besides questions about the reason for the war — which Hegseth said was to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons — Democrats focused on Hegseth’s purge of senior military officials, including generals and admirals, often without public explanations.
“It’s very difficult to change the culture of a department that has been destroyed by the wrong perspectives with the same officers that were there,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth pushed back against other Democratic criticisms and said the war has been “an outstanding military success” even as Iran continues to halt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and has rejected U.S. offers that would end hostilities.
A fragile cease fire could soon end. Axios reported that top U.S. military leaders, including Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of Central Command, planned to brief President Donald Trump on Thursday on potentially renewing military action against Iran.
The only Minnesota member of an Armed Services panel, Rep. Brad Finstad, R-1st District, skipped the six-hour House briefing on Wednesday even though the star witness was fellow Minnesotan Hegseth.
A spokeswoman for Finstad said the lawmaker was tied up with “ongoing floor activity” and last-minute negotiations over the farm bill.
A ‘skinny’ farm bill
The so-called “skinny farm bill” was approved on a 224-200 House vote Thursday after a provision that would have prevented individual states from implementing tougher pesticide and herbicide regulations than in federal law was stripped out.
The provision was strongly opposed by Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) advocates who said it provided a “liability shield” to protect Bayer from allegations that its Roundup herbicide and its chemical glyphosate cause cancer.
Still, most Democrats voted against the bill, including Rep. Angie Craig, D-2nd District, the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, and the state’s three other Democratic House members.
Democrats sought to undo new restrictions on people who receive assistance from food stamps, officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP.)
Those new limitations, which also include the reduction to many states — including Minnesota — of federal funds to administer the program, were included in last summer’s “big beautiful” bill that codified much of President Donald Trump’s agenda. But, because of GOP opposition, an attempt to restore the food stamp cuts failed.
“This farm bill is three years late and still falls short for farmers and the American people,” Rep. Betty McCollum, D-4th District, said in a statement. “Last year the Republicans forced through their incredibly unpopular Big Ugly Bill, which has so far kicked 3.4 million people off SNAP. This farm bill could have restored those cuts to SNAP but instead continued them.”
Democrats also objected to the bill’s inclusion of a provision to pre-empt animal welfare regulations in California, Massachusetts and other states that prohibit the importation of meat from animals raised in inhumane conditions.
Related: Teetering hemp industry hopes for farm bill win
The bill also failed to include provisions that would help Minnesota’s booming industry of hemp-derived THC-infused gummies, drinks, other edibles and CBD products.
That industry was hoping for a repeal of a provision approved in a massive spending bill last year that would reverse a federal ban on the production and sale of any product that contained more than trace amounts of hemp-derived THC. The ban goes into effect in November.
But an amendment that would have reversed the ban and instituted new federal regulations on the industry was withdrawn, either because it did not have enough support or because GOP leaders sought to persuade fellow Republicans from including measures in the farm bill that would threaten its chances of approval.
Also withdrawn was a second amendment sponsored by Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., and Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-5th District, and Kelly Morrison, D-3rd District, that would have postponed the hemp-THC ban until November 2027.
Under the new federal law, hemp-derived THC products would still be available in Minnesota and other states that allow for their production and sale, but the industry would shrink and there would also be fewer consumer choices as these products would have the same federal restrictions as marijuana.
The effort to keep hemp-based intoxicating products legal under federal law, which is opposed by the nation’s marijuana and alcoholic beverage industries, crosses party lines and has created interesting alliances. For instance, Comer, the head of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has recently submitted a complaint against Omar to the House Ethics Committee based on a filing — which the Democrat has since amended — that showed the values of her husband’s businesses had soared.
Although President Donald Trump supports the imminent hemp ban, he pressed Congress last week to amend it so CBD products that contain more than the new limit on THC, which is 0.4 mg, remain on the market.
“I am calling on Congress to update the Law to ensure that Americans can continue to access the full-spectrum CBD products they have come to rely on, and that help them, while preserving Congress’s intent to restrict the sale of products that pose Health risks,” the president said in a Truth Social post.
The farm bill the U.S. House approved on Thursday was called a “skinny” bill because most of the money for farm subsidy and conservation programs, as well as crop insurance programs, was included in last summer’s “big, beautiful” bill.
But key policy changes American farmers are seeking were not in the “big, beautiful” bill, so a new farm bill was needed.
In a post on X, Rep. Brad Finstad, R-1st District, hailed House approval of the bill, which will be reconciled with a Senate-passed farm bill.
“My @HouseAgGOP colleagues and I have put together a strong, bipartisan Farm Bill that delivers certainty for farmers and rural communities across southern Minnesota and the country,” Finstad said. “I’m proud of the work we’ve done to pass this essential legislation in the House. I call on my Senate colleagues to do the same, and I look forward to sending it to President Trump’s desk.”
ICYMI:
▪️ Matthew Blake wrote that retiring Gov. Tim Walz, in his last State of the State address, said “it’s been a difficult seven years” for Minnesota but focused on accomplishments that he said made the state a better place.
▪️ Metro reporter Trevor Mitchell found that eviction filings are rising much faster in the Twin Cities area than solutions that would keep people in their homes.
▪️ Reporters Matthew Blake and Brian Arola wrote that solutions to a thorny problem — the replacement of ancient computer systems used by the state government to distribute benefits — are elusive.
▪️ The chance to win the congressional seat of Rep. Angie Craig, D-2nd District, has drawn a trio of veteran DFL lawmakers who are now in tight competition for their party’s endorsement.
This and that
A reader commented on a recent story about Rep. Tom Emmer’s ability to raise millions in campaign cash and donate generously to other GOP candidates, largely because Emmer is a member of the House Republican leadership.
“How many special favors to his billionaire masters has he traded to amass his war chest to maintain his power?” the reader asked. “What achievements for his district does he plan to run on? His district contains St. Cloud, the most troubled regional city in Minnesota. What has he done for St. Cloud State? How about extending the train to St. Cloud or fixing chronic congestion on 94? Keeping people on health insurance and in affordable housing? Protecting children with vaccines and from gun violence? Keeping hospitals, family farms and small businesses going…”
Please keep your comments, and any questions, coming. I’ll try my best to respond. Please contact me at aradelat@minnpost.com.
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