WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced pointed questions Wednesday from Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill about the deployment of National Guard members and Marines in California, the United States' involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict and the plans to rename military bases for service members with similar names to Confederate leaders.

Hegseth’s appearance — alongside Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine — before the Senate Armed Services Committee was the final in a trio of often-combative hearings about the Trump administration’s budget proposal. 

Hegseth told the committee that the Pentagon was standing ready with options for President Donald Trump as he considers his next actions in response to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran — but declined to share more information about if the U.S. would join in the strikes.

In the days following Israel’s initial attack on Iranian nuclear and military sites as well as top generals and scientists, the two countries have traded strikes — with more than 200 civilians killed in Iran and at least a dozen lives lost in Israel. 

“We know right now that Tehran understands exactly what the president is saying,” Hegseth said in response to Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, a retired Marine colonel. “He said 60 days. The world can believe it; the world can not believe it. He said 60 days. They had an opportunity to make a deal. They should have made a deal. President Trump’s word means something.

“I think we have in many ways, in this environment, reestablished deterrence,” the defense secretary later added. “The question in the coming days is exactly what direction that goes.”

Later in the hearing, Michigan Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA analyst, pressed Hegseth about what long-term planning — such as reviews of safeguards for military personnel and equipment, the potential use of ground troops in Iran and cost assessments — had been conducted for a scenario in which the U.S. became involved in the conflict.

“I don't think we doubt what we can do as a country in the attack,” she said. “It’s the day after, with Iraq and Afghanistan, that so many of us have been deeply concerned about. Have you authorized any day-after planning?”

“As I have said, we have plans for everything,” Hegseth responded, without sharing any additional information in the open session. 

Hegseth had several tense exchanges during the three-hour hearing with Democratic lawmakers about Trump’s decision to deploy more than 4,000 members of the National Guard as well as 700 Marines to Los Angeles, following protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this month. 

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, grilled Hegseth about whether he would comply with a federal ruling should an appeals court decide to return control of the National Guard to California. 

“I don’t believe district courts should be determining national security policy. When it goes to the Supreme Court, we'll see,” Hegseth responded.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., later continued the line of questioning, asking Hegseth, “If the Supreme Court orders you to remove troops from American cities, will you do so?”

“If the Supreme Court rules on a topic, we will abide by it,” Hegseth said. 

Warren leaned on Hegseth to give a benchmark for when the volume of military members deployed domestically would impact “readiness around the world,” but the defense secretary did not provide any estimation in response.

Republicans who brought up the protests in Los Angeles during their remarks praised the military intervention in California.

Meanwhile, several Democrats questioned Hegseth and Caine about whether the Trump administration had contingency plans to send soldiers to other cities without the approval of governors or mayors and contended that local law enforcement was better suited to deal with protests and protecting federal buildings. 

“I would much rather have our troops do tough, realistic training,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a former Black Hawk helicopter pilot, said. “Instead of typing in spreadsheets for ICE, they should be conducting live fire maneuver exercises.”

Hegseth would not say if he had authorized troops to conduct arrests of civilians or use lethal force against protesters, and contended that the deployments were legal.

“We have not, nor will we ever, illegally deployed troops,” the defense secretary said. 

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., focused his questioning on whether the Defense Department would reverse course in its plans to rename several military bases that had previously been stripped of monikers honoring Confederate leaders by the Biden administration . 

"We are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee," Trump said last week during a visit to Fort Bragg, which his administration had previously renamed from Fort Liberty.

Kaine noted that two granddaughters of the late Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg, for whom Fort Gregg-Adams was in part renamed, were in attendance at Wednesday's hearing. He then asked the defense secretary if he would commit to nixing the renaming plan for three Virginia bases.

“The orders will soon be going out to those bases to change the names back to the original names, which should have never been changed,” Hegseth responded.

Sen. Angus King, I-Me., revived the line of questioning later in the hearing, recounting how he learned about Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Fort Lee had been changed by President Joe Biden to Fort Gregg-Adams.

“I don’t understand what the motivation is to rename bases for people who took up arms against their country on behalf of slavery,” King said. 

“There’s a legacy. There’s a connection to those bases and to those places,” Hegseth replied, referring to veterans and current service members. “That matters to them. Ask enough of them, as I do all the time.”

Duckworth later argued that not all veterans supported the restored names that are reminiscent of prior Confederate ties, noting that she had herself served at Fort Novosel, which is slated to be renamed Fort Rucker.

The Pentagon has been restoring the former names of bases without technically renaming them for people who fought for the Confederacy. For example, Fort Bragg's newest namesake, Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, was an Army paratrooper in World War II and a Silver Star recipient. Fort Benning was renamed in April for Fred Benning, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross — the nation’s second-highest honor for battlefield bravery — as an 18-year-old corporal in 1918 and later was promoted to sergeant.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.