Hegseth faces sharp questions from Congress

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was quickly met with sharp questions and criticism Tuesday by lawmakers who pressed him about his early moves to deploy troops to Los Angeles, fire key military leaders and purge diversity programs. They expressed bipartisan frustration that Congress has not yet gotten a full defense budget from the Trump administration. "Your tenure as secretary has been marked by endless chaos," Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., told Hegseth. Others, including Republican leaders, warned that massive spending projects such as President Donald Trump's desire for a $175 billion Golden Dome missile defense system will get broad congressional scrutiny. After persistent questioning about the cost of sending National Guard members and Marines to Los Angeles, Hegseth turned to his acting comptroller, Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell, who said it would cost $134 million. Hegseth defended Trump's decision to send the troops, saying they are needed to protect federal agents as they do their jobs. 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 is the first of three congressional hearings he will face this week. Lawmakers take aim at Pentagon's planned spending Lawmakers complained widely that Congress hasn't yet gotten details of the administration's first proposed defense budget, which Trump has said would total $1 trillion, a significant increase over the current spending level of more than $800 billion. And they said they are unhappy with the administration's efforts to go around Congress to push through changes. Key spending issues that have raised questions in recent weeks include plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on security upgrades to turn a Qatari jet into Air Force One and to pour as much as $45 million into a parade recently added to the Army's 250th birthday bash, which coincides with Trump's birthday Saturday. Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., quizzed Hegseth on deploying about 700 active-duty Marines to assist more than 4,100 National Guard troops in protecting federal buildings and personnel during immigration raid protests in Los Angeles. She got into a testy back-and-forth with Hegseth over the costs of the operation. He evaded the questions except to say the department has a budget increase and the money to cover the costs. MacDonnell provided the estimate later. Hegseth suggested that the use of troops for homeland defense will continue to expand. "I think we're 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 American soil. Invoking the Insurrection Act, which allows troops to do that, is incredibly rare, and it's not clear if Trump plans to do it. The commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Eric Smith, told lawmakers at a separate budget hearing Tuesday that the Marines in Los Angeles have not yet been called to respond. Asked by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., about the danger Marines could use force resulting in injuries and deaths, Smith said he was not concerned. "I have great faith in my Marines and their junior leaders and their more senior leaders to execute the lawful tasks that they are given," he said. Pentagon eyes Ukraine's drone use Committee members pressed Hegseth on Ukraine's surprise drone attack in early June that destroyed a large number of Russian bomber aircraft. Hegseth said the strikes caught the U.S. off guard and represented significant advances in drone warfare. The attack has the Pentagon rethinking drone defenses "so we are not vulnerable to a threat and an attack like that," he said, adding that the department is learning every day from Ukraine," and is focused on how to better defend its own military airfields. What Hegseth has focused on so far Hegseth has spent vast amounts of time during his first five months in office promoting the social changes he's making at the Pentagon. He's been far less visible in the administration's more critical international security crises and negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza and Iran. Most recently, Hegseth directed the renaming of a Navy ship that had honored Harvey Milk, a slain gay rights activist who served as a sailor during the Korean War. Hegseth's spokesman, Sean Parnell, said the renaming was needed to ensure "the names attached to all DOD installations and assets are reflective of the commander-in-chief's priorities, our nation's history, and the warrior ethos." Hegseth has posted numerous videos of his morning workouts with troops or of himself signing directives to purge diversity and equity programs and online content from the military. He has boasted of removing transgender service members from the force and firing so-called woke generals, many of whom were women. He was on the international stage about a week ago, addressing an annual national security conference in Asia about threats from China. But a trip to NATO headquarters last week was quick and quiet, and he deliberately skipped a gathering of about 50 allies and partners where they discussed support for Ukraine.