The first time Pete Hegseth testified before Congress the hardest questions he faced were from Democrats who accused him of sexual and alcohol abuse — both of which he denied as “anonymous smears.”

Now, as America’s defense secretary returns to Capitol Hill for a week of testimony, he’s likely to get sharper questioning from his own party.

After five months atop the Pentagon, Hegseth has dismissed top U.S. officers, slashed the Defense Department’s workforce and fired much of his own staff. For a defense secretary confirmed by the narrowest margin possible, the rapid changes have concerned even some Republican members of Congress.

“This is it. This is really the first oversight” of Hegseth’s time as secretary, said Mark Montgomery, a retired rear admiral and former Senate Armed Services

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