US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was met with sharp questions and criticism Tuesday by lawmakers who demanded details on his move to deploy troops to Los Angeles, and they expressed bipartisan frustration that Congress has not yet gotten a full defence budget from the Trump administration.
“Your tenure as secretary has been marked by endless chaos,” Rep Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn, told Hegseth.
According to AP, others, including Republican leaders, warned that massive spending projects such as President Donald Trump’s desire for a $175 billion Golden Dome missile defence system will get broad congressional scrutiny.
The troop deployment triggered several fiery exchanges that at times devolved into shouting matches as House committee members and Hegseth yelled over one another.
After persistent questioning about the cost of sending National Guard members and Marines to Los Angeles in response to protests over immigration raids, 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. And he suggested that the use of troops inside the United States 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.
The hearing before the House Appropriations defence subcommittee was the first time lawmakers have been able to challenge Trump’s defence chief since he was confirmed. It is the first of three congressional hearings he will face this week.
Newsom to sue Trump over National Guard deployment amid LA protests
Lawmakers complained widely that Congress hasn't yet gotten details of the administration’s first proposed defence budget, which Trump has said would total $1 trillion, a significant increase over the current spending level of more than $800 billion.
They said they are unhappy with the administration's efforts to go around Congress to push through changes. 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 the deployment of about 700 Marines to assist more than 4,100 National Guard troops in protecting federal buildings and personnel in LA.
She got into a testy back-and-forth with him over the costs of the operation. He evaded the questions but later turned to MacDonnell, who provided the estimate and said it covers the costs of travel, housing and food.
Hegseth said the 60-day deployment of troops is needed “because we want to ensure that those rioters, looters and thugs on the other side assaulting our police officers know that we’re not going anywhere."
Under the Posse Comitatus Act, troops are prohibited from policing US 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.