Dear MoveOn member,
Pete Hegseth has been secretary of defense for just over a year, and in that time, he's done everything in his power to live up to his self-proclaimed title: Secretary of War.
From the moment he was confirmed, Hegseth has been salivating over aggressive militarism and dragging the United States toward unnecessary, unconstitutional military action. He pushed to rename the Department of Defense the "Department of War." He enabled and celebrated war crimes. And now, he's leading the country into yet another costly, open-ended war that we had no business starting.
Hegseth has yet to make a case that Iran posed any sort of imminent threat to the United States. He has refused to define clear goals or objectives for this war—beyond vague talk of stopping Iran's nuclear program. And yet his department is now preparing to ask Congress for at least $200 billion in supplemental funding to keep fighting this needless, unpopular war.1
Add your name to the petition now and demand that Hegseth be removed from his position as defense secretary.
"Obviously it takes money to kill bad guys."
That's what Pete Hegseth told reporters when asked about the Pentagon's potential $200 billion request to keep this war going.2 But on the first day of this war, a U.S. missile struck a girls school in Iran, killing at least 165 people, most of whom were school children.3
These are the "bad guys" Pete Hegseth needs $200 billion to kill.
It didn't have to play out this way. Just after taking office last year, Hegseth made the decision to dramatically scale back the Pentagon office that prevented the accidental targeting of civilians. The civilian mitigation teams, cut 90% by Hegseth, were responsible for creating "no strike" lists, including schools and religious sites.4
And when asked about the mounting American death toll, he was equally dismissive, telling reporters that more casualties are coming and criticizing the press for covering the deaths of U.S. service members.5
Thirteen American service members have already died in this war. Their families deserve a defense secretary who takes that seriously. Instead, they have an unqualified former Fox News host who's incapable of providing the American people with basic information about the war he is leading.
This costly war is just the latest in a long line of failures.
Last year, Hegseth shared sensitive military strikes plans over a Signal chat that accidentally included a reporter from The Atlantic. He ordered strikes on at least 47 boats in international waters, killing 157 civilians and labeling them as "narco-traffickers," with little to no evidence and no due process.6 And the Pentagon burned through $93 billion in a single month, including $9 million on lobster and crab and more than $200 million on furniture.7
A former Fox News host with no military command experience has no business leading our military. Americans have already died because of his leadership, and every day he stays in this role, people pay the price.
Fire Pete Hegseth! Sign the petition now and then share it with three friends to help spread the word.
Thanks for all you do.
–Kellie, Nakia, AD, Erica, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Hegseth says potential $200 billion Iran war spending request could shift: 'Takes money to kill bad guys,'" CNBC, March 19, 2026
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/19/hegseth-iran-war-budget.html
2. Ibid.
3. "Pentagon probe points to U.S. missile hitting Iranian school," NPR, March 11, 2026
https://www.npr.org/2026/03/11/nx-s1-5744981/pentagon-iran-missile-school-hegseth
4. Ibid.
5. "Pete Hegseth brings combative style as face of Trump's war in Iran," BBC, March 11, 2026
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2g4e5z0d3o
6. "US confirms 157 killed in maritime strikes experts call 'extrajudicial,'" Al Jazeera, March 17, 2026
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/17/us-confirms-157-killed-in-maritime-strikes-experts-call-extrajudicial
7. "'Use it or lose it': Pentagon spending binge set record in final days of fiscal year," CNN, March 12, 2026
https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/12/politics/use-it-or-lose-it-pentagon-spending-binge-set-record-in-final-days-of-fiscal-year
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