Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth is set to face a war of attrition with members of Congress from both parties who are determined to hold him responsible for the Iran war and other issues after next week’s midterm elections.

Lawmakers ranging from New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries to North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis have made clear that they plan to zero in on Hegseth as they seek accountability for President Donald Trump’s war in Iran.

Those threats include a fresh effort to impeach the defense secretary led by Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie. They highlight how all Democrats and a growing number of Republicans see Hegseth as a vulnerable proxy for Trump.

Hegseth was a lightning rod for members of both parties from the day Trump nominated him. His relationship with Congress has only gotten worse after combative congressional hearings and accusations that he’s refused to share information about the costs of the war. He has also fired dozens of generals and admirals with little explanation and announced he would live-stream an execution by firing squad before Trump rejected that plan.

Even Republicans are frustrated with what they say is the Pentagon’s refusal to give them answers on an unpopular war that’s driven fuel prices higher and contributed to predictions that Democrats could take over both houses of Congress.

“Pete Hegseth started this job with no margin for error,” GOP strategist Lisa Camooso Miller said. “Hegseth came from a Fox News set and never built a network on the Hill. In Washington, relationships are your insurance policy. He never bought one.”As of Oct. 16, the war has cost taxpayers $47.1 billion, not including damage to US bases in the region, up from a $43.6 billion estimate in early September, according to an estimate obtained by Bloomberg Government.

“Twenty-one American servicemembers have lost their lives and more than 850 have been wounded because of this war,” said Democratic Senator Jack Reed, who would take the chairmanship of the Senate Armed Services Committee if Democrats control the chamber next year. “Trump and Hegseth have cost the American people nearly $50 billion in military expenses and caused untold billions in damage to Americans’ financial well-being.”Georgia Republican Austin Scott, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee confronted Hegseth after he fired General Randy George, then the Army chief of staff.

“If our top general officers are removed without justification from their positions for providing honest objective advice, which is something that I always knew General George to give, I fear that it’s going to have a trickle down effect that’s going to be devastating to the other officers,” he said during a contentious hearing.

Massie, a Trump critic who lost his primary after the president backed his challenger, has led efforts to impeach Hegseth for waging the conflict against Iran without congressional authorization.

In mid-September, Massie introduced a motion to impeach Hegseth that would have forced a vote. Massie has said he’ll reintroduce the motion when the House resumes work after the midterms, when more GOP members might be lame ducks and less worried about White House pushback.

“Inevitably there will be efforts at impeachment, and Hegseth is probably the best bet,” said Matt Bennett, the executive vice president for public affairs at Third Way, a centrist Democratic think tank.

Jeffries has been more blunt, telling a rally that Democrats will “run Pete Hegseth out of town” if they take the majority. Hegseth further stoked Democrats’ ire with a campaign to demote Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain and a former fighter pilot, after he and other lawmakers who are veterans urged officers to refuse illegal orders.

Working in Hegseth’s favor is that he retains Trump’s support. A White House official, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations, said the administration fully expects Hegseth to be targeted by the next Congress — and isn’t bothered by it. Hegseth rose in Trump’s estimation when he fought through his contentious confirmation process.

“He’s doing a great job,” Trump told reporters on Thursday. “He’s a great warrior. I think he’s the best at his job in many, many years and a lot of people agree with us.”

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell responded to questions about Hegseth’s future by saying that the Defense Department is “solely focused on Peace Through Strength and ensuring our warfighters have everything they need to be successful.”Once the new Congress is installed, a Democratic-controlled House would likely pass an impeachment motion — the legal equivalent of an indictment — but a trial in the Senate would probably falter as it requires a two-thirds majority of members present to convict and remove the target from office.

Bennett noted the unlikelihood that enough Republicans would vote for removal, “so this would be another exercise in sending a message rather than actually getting rid of him.”Short of impeachment, Hegseth could face scrutiny in probes Democrats have threatened into defense contractors that have gotten investment from Donald Trump Jr.’s venture-capital firm 1789 Capital, or the equity stakes the US has taken in new shipyards and other contracts.

Retiring Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina has called his deciding vote in Hegseth’s 2025 confirmation the “biggest regret” of his career. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, has also expressed frustration with the department’s lack of communication on key decisions.

A Quinnipiac University poll last month found that just 32% of registered voters approved of Hegseth’s performance as defense secretary, while 57% disapproved. Among independents, 65% disapproved, and 56% of voters expressed little or no confidence in his military leadership.

“The risk to Hegseth is that his detractors seem angrier than his supporters,” said Seb Wride, the head of research at PF Global.