(AP) – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said congressional Democrats are “the biggest adversary we face” as he parried questioning from lawmakers Wednesday for the first time since U.S. President Donald Trump launched the war against Iran. And the Pentagon’s chief financial officer released a detail Democrats have been demanding, saying the war has cost an estimated $25 billion and counting.

Hegseth told the House Armed Services Committee that boosting next year’s Pentagon budget to an unprecedented $1.5 trillion will “maintain the world’s most powerful and capable military.”

Meanwhile talks on ending the war have stalled. Trump posted an image on social media showing himself carrying a weapon in a war zone, saying “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”