NPR News: 07-21-2026 4PM EDT

Lakshmi Singh· Host0:01

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is asking Congress this hour for more money, mainly for the US war with Iran. He is testifying before members of a Senate committee weighing President Trump's supplemental funding request for nearly ninety billion dollars. In his opening remarks, Hegseth testified the request for fiscal year twenty twenty-six is urgent to address immediate department needs. He said it is not a substitute for Trump's request of a one and a half trillion dollar base budget request that Hegseth says is needed to defend the country.

Pete Hegseth· Soundbite0:37

The members of this committee understand better than most that long-term strategic dominance cannot be funded through one-off supplementals.

Lakshmi Singh· Host0:45

But anti-war activists repeatedly interrupted his opening remarks.

Speaker 3· Soundbite0:50

Veterans call for an end to this war right now.

Susan Collins· Soundbite0:52

[gavel pounding] We will have order.

Lakshmi Singh· Host0:58

The committee's chair, Senator Susan Collins, then directed Capitol Police to remove anyone who disrupted the proceedings. President Trump says he plans to help Lebanon a lot. The US has been mediating between Israel and Lebanon and trying to get Israeli forces to leave some small areas in southern Lebanon where they have been fighting Hezbollah. Here's NPR's Michelle Kellerman.

Michelle Kellerman1:21

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says his goal is to end the state of hostility between Israel and Lebanon and that he's been looking forward to this White House