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Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, was met with sharp questions and criticism this Tuesday by lawmakers who pressed him on the deployment of troops in Los Angeles, the dismissal of key military leaders, and the purging of diversity programs. Congressmen also expressed frustration because Congress has yet to receive a complete defense budget from the Donald Trump administration.
“Your tenure as secretary has been marked by endless chaos,” Representative Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, told Hegseth. Others, including Republican leaders, warned that massive spending projects such as Trump's desire for a missile defense system called the Golden Dome of $175 billion will receive extensive scrutiny from Congress.
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Following persistent questions about the cost of sending National Guard members and marines to Los Angeles, Hegseth turned to his acting comptroller, Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell, who indicated that it would cost 134 million dollars. Hegseth defended Trump's decision to send the troops, noting that they are necessary to protect federal agents in their work.
The House Defense Appropriations subcommittee hearing was the first time lawmakers have been able to challenge Trump's defense chief since he was confirmed. And it's the first of three congressional hearings he will face this week.
Lawmakers Question Pentagon Spending
Lawmakers widely complained that Congress has yet to receive details of the Administration's first defense budget proposal, which Trump has said would amount to $1 trillion, a significant increase over the current spending level of more than $800 billion. They noted that they are not happy with the Government's efforts to push for changes in Congress.
Among the main spending issues that have raised doubts in recent weeks are plans for hundreds of millions of dollars in security upgrades to convert a Qatari plane into Air Force One and to pour up to $45 million into a parade recently added to the Army's 250th anniversary celebration, which coincides with Trump's birthday on Saturday.
Representative Betty McCollum, a Democrat from Minnesota, questioned Hegseth about the deployment of some 700 active-duty marines to assist more than 4,100 National Guard soldiers in protecting federal buildings and personnel during protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles. He engaged in a heated back-and-forth with Hegseth about the costs of the operation. Hegseth dodged the questions, except to say that the department has a budget increase and the money to cover them. MacDonnell provided the estimate later. Hegseth suggested that the use of troops for national defense will continue to expand. “I think we are entering another phase, especially under President Trump, with his focus on the homeland, where the National Guard and reserves become a critical component of how we secure that homeland,” he said. Under the Posse Comitatus Act, troops are prohibited from policing U.S. citizens on U.S. soil. Invoking the Insurrection Act, which allows troops to do that, is incredibly rare, and it's unclear if Trump plans to do so. The Marine Corps commandant, Gen. Eric Smith, specified to lawmakers in a separate budget hearing on Tuesday that the Marines in Los Angeles have not yet been called to respond. Questioned by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Democrat from Connecticut, about the danger that the Marines could use force causing injuries and deaths, Smith said he was not concerned. "I have great confidence in my marines and in their junior and senior leaders to execute the legal tasks they are assigned," he stated.Hegseth's measures so far
During his first five months in office, Hegseth has dedicated a lot of time to promoting the social changes he is implementing at the Pentagon. He has been much less visible in the most critical international security crises of the Administration and in the negotiations related to Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, and Iran.
More recently, Hegseth directed the renaming of a Navy ship that had honored Harvey Milk, a murdered gay rights activist who served as a sailor during the Korean War. Hegseth's spokesman, Sean Parnell, stated that the renaming was necessary to ensure that "the names of all Department of Defense facilities and assets reflect the priorities of the commander in chief, the history of our nation, and the warrior spirit."
Hegseth has published numerous videos of his morning workouts with the troops or of himself signing directives to purge diversity and equity programs and online content from the armed forces. He has boasted of expelling transgender members from the Army and firing so-called woke generals, many of whom were women.
A week ago, she was on the international stage, addressing an annual national security conference in Asia about the threats from China. But her trip to NATO headquarters last week was quick and silent, and she deliberately skipped a meeting of about 50 allies and partners in which support for Ukraine was discussed.
