During a Senate hearing regarding the Defense Department's 2026 budget, Senator Tammy Duckworth fiercely criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for his handling of military operations, particularly the expensive and ineffective engagement with the Houthis in Yemen. She accused him of careless spending and mishandling classified information, endangering service members. Duckworth expressed concerns over Hegseth's leadership style, suggesting it created a toxic environment that deters qualified individuals from taking senior roles. Additionally, she challenged his focus on renaming military bases after Confederate figures, questioning both his competence and priorities in addressing real threats to national security.
You sent classified operational information over Signal to chest thump in front of your wife who, by the way, has no security clearance risking service member lives in the process.
You blew the $1 billion fight against the Houthis who, again, as my colleague says, has no navy; and yet you lost all of those aircraft.
You're focusing on renaming bases for Confederate generals. You said just now to Senator [Angus King] that, to a man and to a woman, we would rather be associated with the old Confederate names.
What you have done as Secretary is staggering; the hostile command environment you created has made it impossible for many to serve in leadership roles at DOD.
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