Democrats Criticize Defense Secretary’s Remarks
House Democratic leaders expressed their frustration on Wednesday regarding a recent address by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, which left some feeling unimpressed.
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif) described Hegseth’s speech at the Quantico Marine Base as rather “indifferent.” He remarked, “We could go through a list of poor ideas and policy stances from our Secretary. By the way, he’s probably the most unqualified Secretary of Defense this country has ever had. So it’s tough to take him seriously.”
The comments from Democrat leaders followed President Trump’s speech at Quantico on the same day, where he suggested deploying troops to address crime, particularly in cities governed by Democrats.
Rep. Ted Lew, a former Air Force lawyer and currently vice-chair of the House Democratic Caucus, asserted, “We shouldn’t be deploying American troops against Americans in our cities.”
He added, “Our military is not meant for domestic law enforcement, and using them in such a manner is illegal. A federal judge has ruled on this, and I expect the appeals courts, including the Supreme Court, to uphold that.”
Lieu’s remarks referenced the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which limits military involvement in civilian law enforcement. Aguilar mentioned efforts to amend the Appropriations Budget Committee to ensure funds couldn’t be used in violation of this law, a measure that received considerable support from Republicans.
He questioned the current sentiment of the Republicans, saying, “Either they don’t see it as an issue, or they did nothing about it two months ago. If they think the situation is changing now, I’m curious.”
On Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) backed the idea of increasing National Guard troop deployments in various cities, similar to current actions in Washington, D.C.
“Crime has significantly decreased in D.C.,” Johnson told CNN. “People feel safe, and our staff isn’t living in fear. We should implement this in major cities controlled by non-serious Democrats.”
Trump, on the other hand, suggested going beyond National Guard deployments, advocating for the use of active-duty military. He stated, “San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles… it’s like a war from within. I told Pete [Hegseth] some of these locations should be used for military training—both the National Guard and the military. We’re heading to Chicago soon.”
Lieu criticized this notion as illegal, pointing out that the generals who attended the event remained largely silent during Trump and Hegseth’s remarks. “Trump and Hegseth probably hoped for applause and a standing ovation from our generals, but they were met with silence. That silence spoke volumes; the generals knew Trump’s statements were incorrect,” Lieu concluded.
