WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is tentatively expected to testify publicly before the House Armed Services Committee on April 29. The hearing would mark Hegseth's first appearance under oath on Capitol Hill since the U.S. conflict with Iran began.

The timing of the hearing has not been finalized and could shift. If the hearing proceeds as planned, it will give lawmakers their first opportunity to question Hegseth in a public, sworn setting about the administration's handling of the war. The session will fall under the committee's routine oversight of the Defense Department and its annual budget request.

The Trump administration first ordered strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, and the conflict has now entered its second month. Hegseth said the upcoming days will be decisive for the campaign. A classified House Armed Services Committee briefing took place last Wednesday, but lawmakers from both parties expressed frustration with the scope of information provided during the session.

Committee Chair Mike Rogers said after the briefing that officials were being "very constrained" and "tight-lipped," and that lawmakers "deserve more answers than we're given." Ranking Member Adam Smith said lawmakers still lack a clear path for how the administration intends to achieve its objectives in Iran.

Democrats on the committee sent a letter Friday calling for an immediate public hearing with Pentagon officials. The letter cited a lack of transparency and raised concerns about shifting objectives, unanswered questions about costs and a potential $200 billion supplemental spending request, and the possible use of U.S. ground forces in the conflict.