Slotkin, Hegseth clash at Senate hearing

Thank you. Gentlemen, you're here to ask for $1.5 trillion, 40% more than what we gave you last year, $1 trillion. And I agree with the chairman of this committee that the world has never been more dangerous and complicated. And regardless of whether we disagree on the reasons for getting into this war, I think we can all agree that we want our military to come out of it safely and successfully and as soon as feasible. The military has taken you all-- the administration has taken military action in 10 different places in the world in 15 months, more than any president in US history. I think President Trump has really become a foreign-policy president. And many of those operations were on the news for a couple of days, but then the American public didn't feel them. And I think the difference with this war with Iran is that the American public is feeling it in their pocketbooks. Gas in Michigan is $4.99 today, the cost of fertilizer, of airline tickets, things that are real to people. Secretary Hegseth, the president said that you were most keen on this war. He said that you were the most gung ho about it. And I think despite us all wanting to come out of this successfully, it is hard to miss that we are at the stalemate, that we don't control the Strait of Hormuz because shipping is not getting through. And we can block what they're trying to get through, but nothing is moving, and it's costing the American public. And I think that's a fundamentally different moment than the rest of the military action we've taken. Even in Middle East 101 class, we used to talk about and run war games on the Strait of Hormuz. It's a strategic geography that the Iranians have. And I think it's just concerning to me that we can try and tell the American people that it's going great and we're killing it, but until the Strait of Hormuz is open, I don't think we can credibly say that with any seriousness. I think the question I have for you, though, is future looking, and it's our 2026 elections. The president has been very clear. He said in the State of the Union that, essentially, if his side doesn't win, then the election was rigged. He said that before the 2020 election. He's asked for voter rolls for 29 different states. He just asked for Detroit's votes or ballots. And we know that in 2020, he wrote an executive order that he didn't sign that said to the US military, to the secretary of defense, you should go and seize ballots and voting machines. A few months ago, he said that he regretted that he ever-- that he didn't sign that executive order. So the US military has never been deployed. You incorrectly said yesterday that they were deployed during different elections. Governors deployed them under their authorities, but the federal government has never put the uniform military at our polls. During World War II, right after 9/11, we've never had to do that. So, Secretary Hegseth, if the president, who regrets not signing that executive order to the then SecDef in 2020, asks you to seize ballots or voting machines in states during the 2026 election, will you stand up for the Constitution and say no, or will you salute and do his bidding? Senator, I didn't get a chance to answer the first part of your question, which there was a lot of deferred maintenance under the Biden administration that needed to be addressed because the world was in chaos when President Trump was elected.

Just address the election issue, please. Well, again--

That's the most important thing. It's what's happening. --it's yet another gotcha hypothetical, which is your specialty.

It's not. We had an executive order. And ultimately, under the Biden administration-- --that your predecessor had to hold. --in 2024-- It's not a hypothetical. I refuse to accept-- you give that answer all the time. You and I have done this dance before. Get over it. In 2020, he's the president. Your boss, the guy you're performing for right now, told the journalists this year that he wished he signed that executive order to your predecessor, and your predecessor said publicly, thank God we didn't actually go forward with it. What are you going to do? You're the guy here in the seat. It's not hypothetical. Tell the American people, will you deploy the uniformed military to our polls to collect voter rolls or machines? Are you accusing me of performing? Because you're performing for cable news right now.

But, Mr. Secretary, we have-- It's a hypothetical. By the way, in 2024, under the Biden administration, 15 states did deploy troops to polling stations. Under their governor's authority when their governors asked for it. What did Joe Biden say about that? That was fundamentally-- I don't think anything because he needed them for cybersecurity and for COVID. Trump did it, too, under Trump, but it was not the federal decision. It was those governors of the states under their authorities, OK? It's never been done in our history. Please stand up for the Constitution. Do not send uniformed military to our polls.

Do you have a response to that portion of the question, Mr. Secretary? I've never been ordered to do anything illegal, and I won't. That goes without saying.

Thank you for the answers.