Democrats Plan Vigorous Oversight of Department of Defense

Representative Adam Smith, ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, announced that Democrats will launch vigorous oversight of the Department of Defense and the Trump Administration in the 120th Congress. Starting in January, the committee will prioritize investigations into what Smith calls an illegal war against Iran, military operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, and allegations of waste and fraud in private contracts.

Smith also criticized Secretary of War Pete Hegseth for reshaping military leadership, describing the process as a purging of the ranks based on loyalty and ideology. Simultaneously, Secretary Hegseth faces an impeachment push led by outgoing Representative Thomas Massie, who accuses the secretary of allowing extrajudicial killings and directing military operations without congressional approval.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell dismissed the impeachment threats as partisan. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump suggested that Hegseth could potentially leave the Pentagon to run for the Senate seat vacated by Marsha Blackburn.