Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired back at Democrat California Rep. Pete Aguilar on Tuesday after the congressman accused him of mistreating the troops deployed to Los Angeles, California.
Aguilar alleged during the House Appropriations Committee hearing that the National Guard and Marines combating the riots in Los Angeles have slept on the floor, and have not been given food, water or other necessities by the Department of Defense (DOD). Hegseth denied these allegations, saying that the troops on the ground are “very well prepared” and that the department is ensuring they are well taken care of.
“There have been photographs that have shown these troops sleeping on the floor and they have not been provided fuel, food or water by DOD. How long will this deployment last and why were we unprepared to provide them basic necessities such as food and water?” Aguilar asked.
“The commanders and troops on the field are very well prepared, sir,” Hegseth said. “They responded incredibly rapidly to a deteriorating situation with equipment and capabilities. We have made sure from the top down, the secretary of Defense, who’s been in a unit holding riot shields outside the White House in the summer of 2020, I know what it’s like to be immediately deployed in a situation like that. There are moments where you make do as best you can temporarily. But we are making sure they are housed, fed, water, [have] capabilities in real time from my office because I care that much about the California [National] Guard, and the Marines and the men and women who are supporting our [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents on the ground.”
Aguilar then accused Hegseth of not caring about the troops and allowing them to serve in poor conditions. The defense secretary staunchly pushed back, arguing that he cares deeply about the troops and that he will ensure that they protect the city against rioters and looters. (RELATED: Pete Hegseth Drops Hammer On Better McCollum After Trying To Corner Him — She Quickly Changes Subject)
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“It’s true everyday and that’s a disingenuous attack that represents how much we care about our troops and what they’re doing to defend ICE agents. I’m not gonna take the fact that we don’t care about the troops. Nobody cares more about the troops at the top than this secretary and the chairman of our department,” Hegseth said.
Hegseth further denied the suggestion by Aguilar that the DOD may be pulling funding from quality of life programs to fund the deployment in Los Angeles.
Trump deployed at least 2,000 National Guard troops and approximately 700 U.S. Marines to combat the ongoing violence in the city. Rioters have looted local stores and business, vandalized buildings, set fire to vehicles and have thrown Molotov cocktails and fireworks in response to ICE raids across the city.
The state of California sued the Trump administration on Monday for deploying the National Guard, with Democrat California Attorney General Rob Bonta calling the president’s action “unnecessary and counterproductive.” Democrat Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told CNN that her city is “calm” despite the network airing live footage of rioters setting an unspecified object aflame.
Trump told reporters that he would have Newsom arrested if he were Homan, stating that the California governor is a “nice guy” who is “grossly incompetent.” He stated on Tuesday that he directly told Newsom on the phone “to do a better job” handling the riots, though Newsom denied that the conversation ever took place.
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