[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 73 (Thursday, May 1, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2727-S2729]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                  Trump Administration First 100 Days

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise to discuss my concern about the chaos 
that is roiling the Department of Defense. Sunday will mark the 100th 
day of Pete Hegseth serving as Secretary of Defense.
  During his confirmation hearing, Mr. Hegseth said:

       President Trump wants a Pentagon laser focused on 
     warfighting, lethality, meritocracy, standards, and 
     readiness. That is it. That is my job.

  Well, Secretary Hegseth is failing the mission President Trump gave 
him. His actions over the past 100 days have done nothing but distract 
the Pentagon and undermine warfighting, lethality, meritocracy, 
standards, and readiness.
  In the first 100 days, Secretary Hegseth has terminated or weakened 
programs and processes that are the bedrock upon which our military 
recruits personnel and trains servicemembers to go into battle.
  For example, in February the Secretary announced his plan to slash 
the civilian workforce by 5 to 8 percent, terminate probationary 
workers, and institute a hiring freeze.
  These severe measures have only meant more work for the remaining 
employees and more costly work for military officers and contractors to 
cover the gaps, or simply not to carry out the missions.
  The Secretary has also launched a number of efforts to eliminate 
diversity and inclusion programs, which have led to more limited 
recruiting efforts, attempts to separate honorably serving transgender 
servicemembers, dissolving social clubs at the military academies, 
banning and removing books from the Naval Academy, and inspiring 
walkouts by students at DOD schools abroad over book bans and 
curriculum changes.
  Frankly, I joined the Army in 1967 and served on Active Duty for 12 
years, and the idea that dependent children of military personnel in 
DOD schools would protest the Secretary of Defense to me was 
inconceivable, but it has happened, showing, I think, great anxiety in 
the ranks of our military personnel all across the globe.
  The Secretary is also failing his duty to lead the Department by 
example. That is one of the key touchstones of any military leader: 
``Do what I do'' and ``Follow me.''
  For example, on March 24, Mr. Hegseth demonstrated a severe lack of 
judgment when he texted classified military intelligence on the 
unclassified and unsecured Signal app to at least two group chats, 
including one with his wife, brother, and personal lawyer, which raises 
the question: Why would they have access to, or should have access to, 
highly classified information? That information, if intercepted by an 
adversary, would endanger the lives of our servicemembers deployed 
downrange.
  The Secretary also installed a ``dirty line,'' which is an unsecured 
internet connection into his Pentagon office so he could more easily 
send texts and personal emails. Such actions violate the laws and 
protocols that every other military servicemember is required to 
follow.
  When military leaders bring in enlisted personnel and junior officers 
and tell them about the boundaries of proper cyber use, they make it 
very clear: It is completely inappropriate--indeed,

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dangerous--to plug a dirty line into an official computer.
  The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General is conducting 
an investigation of these activities. This mishandling, in the view of 
most people I know, particularly professional officers, is classified 
information. And we all look forward to the Inspector General's 
independent and unbiased finding.
  And just hours ago, we learned of press reports that National 
Security Advisor Mike Waltz will be fired this week because of his own 
actions around the Signal incident. If true, I welcome the message of 
accountability that it sends.
  Mr. Waltz made a significant mistake in adding a reporter to a 
sensitive Signal chat, and his failure could have had serious national 
security consequences. But I respect that he took responsibility for 
his mistake and paid the cost, apparently.
  In contrast, Secretary Hegseth has refused to take responsibility for 
his own misconduct, which, in my view, was far more egregious than that 
of Mr. Waltz.
  Indeed, the fallout from this incident has further eroded the already 
dismal credibility that the Secretary brought to the Pentagon. The 
Secretary's inner circle of handpicked advisers have nearly all 
resigned or been fired. His chief of staff was dismissed amid 
allegations of incompetence and unsettling personal behavior. Three of 
his senior policy advisers were fired for allegedly leaking sensitive 
information, which they all staunchly deny.
  And his top spokesman resigned after losing confidence in the 
Secretary and writing ``[T]he building is in disarray under Hegseth's 
leadership'' and, furthermore ``The last month has been a full-blown 
meltdown at the Pentagon--and it's becoming a real problem for the 
administration.''
  And these were the words of Secretary Hegseth's self-selected top 
spokesperson.
  This chain of events is extraordinary and underscores the concerns I 
raised at Secretary Hegseth's nomination hearing. He does not possess 
the temperament and management skills needed to lead the Pentagon, and 
he is proving that over and over.
  There have been multiple news reports that Secretary Hegseth spends 
much of his day focusing on perceived leaks and that he has become 
paranoid, lashing out at aides and senior military leaders, convinced 
that they are undermining him.
  He has threatened his top military advisers, including then-acting 
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Grady and Joint Chiefs 
Director General Sims with polygraph tests in order to prove that these 
distinguished military leaders are not liars.
  Knowing the quality and the dedication of these gentlemen to the 
military, and particularly to their obligation for honesty and 
fidelity, I find it unusual that they would be receiving the lie 
detector test.

  The Secretary's office should be leading the Pentagon, allowing the 
rest of the Department to be laser-focused on the missions, but, again, 
President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have made that very difficult due 
to the internal disarray they have created by firing key military 
leaders.
  These firings include the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the 
Chief of Naval Operations, the Commander of Cyber Command, the U.S. 
Military Representative to NATO, the Vice Chair of the Air Force, the 
Secretary of Defense Senior Military Aide, and the top uniformed 
lawyers, or Judge Advocates General of each of the military services.
  You know, one of the thoughts I had is if you want to go ahead and do 
things that are beyond the law, the first thing you do is get rid of 
the lawyers, and that is the first thing he did.
  And these are not minor positions. They are vital to the Department's 
mission, and when left unfilled, the military loses focus and missions 
are compromised. These officers were fired without a plan to replace 
them, which is crippling our military's effectiveness during a perilous 
time.
  More importantly, these officers were fired without explanation, 
which leads to the worst possible outcome for a military force: fear 
throughout the ranks that one should not speak up, should not refuse an 
illegal order, and should not call out abuse or question decisions.
  General and flag officers are charged with providing their unbiased 
``best military advice'' to the civilian leaders of the Department of 
Defense. Servicemembers, all the way down to young NCOs and enlisted 
personnel, are expected to give candid feedback to their leaders and 
peers, and commanders expect troops to give them the facts straight and 
true and their best advice because lives are on the line.
  In fact, any good officer understands that his success and the 
success and, indeed, the lives of his troops are based so much on the 
advice, the insights of noncommissioned officers in his command.
  And if that spirit, that aspect of military life in which people can 
talk the truth to each other is frustrated or essentially annulled, we 
are in a grave position.
  Now, similarly, Congress expects candor from senior officers to 
provide their best judgment without fear of retribution, for both the 
security of our country and that of the 2 million service men and women 
who put themselves in harm's way.
  But firing officers as a political litmus test poisons this military 
ethos. It sends an immediate signal to troops that providing their 
unbiased best military advice might have career-ending consequences.
  Now, I will take a brief moment to discuss the officers who have been 
dismissed. GEN CQ Brown served as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 
Staff and was fired without explanation, not even halfway into his 4-
year term--the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to be 
dismissed during his term of office, and this stretches back many 
decades.
  The Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was designed 
by Congress to be such that it bridged elections, that it was not tied 
into elections, that it was far from elections. But one of the first 
steps that Trump and Hegseth set was to break this custom, this 
tradition, really, this value.
  When he was informed, he was visiting our troops on the southern 
border, and he was abruptly dismissed.
  General Brown served our Nation honorably for more than four decades. 
He was a fighter pilot with multiple combat missions, and he led the 
Joint Chiefs of Staff with dedication and skill. By the way, the Senate 
approved his nomination by a vote of 83-11, not exactly a vote for a 
controversial personality. To date, the Trump administration has given 
no justification for his dismissal.
  Seven full weeks passed without a confirmed Chairman of the Joint 
Chiefs. Gen. Dan Caine has now been confirmed and is working hard to 
get up to speed. Given what happened to his predecessor, General Caine 
must realize that in addition to his duties as the Chairman of the 
Joint Chiefs of Staff, he must also deal with the political intrigue 
consuming the Pentagon.
  I hope that General Caine will always provide the best military 
advice to the President and the Secretary of Defense, even if that 
advice is not what they would want to hear.
  Secretary Hegseth also dismissed ADM Lisa Franchetti who served as 
the 33rd Chief of Naval Operations. She was the first woman to lead the 
Navy and the first to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Admiral 
Franchetti served in leadership roles at every level throughout the 
Navy, both on shore and at sea and with postings around the globe. She 
was a trailblazer, team builder, an inspiration to many.
  The Senate approved her nomination by a vote of 95-1, a strong 
endorsement from this body, based on her record of service. Again, the 
Trump administration has given no justification for her dismissal.

  To date, the administration has not nominated a new Chief of Naval 
Operations. It has been 2 months since Admiral Franchetti was 
dismissed, and the Navy remains without a Senate-confirmed Chief of 
Naval Operations at a time when the service is involved in the most 
intensive combat operation since World War II, taking place today in 
the Red Sea. I was able to greet a destroyer returning from the Red Sea 
and was informed that it had seen more action than any destroyer since 
World War II.
  Gen. Timothy Haugh served as the Commander of U.S. Cyber Command

[[Page S2729]]

and the director of the National Security Agency. As the commander of 
Cyber Command, General Haugh led the most formidable cyber warfighting 
force in the world, responsible for detecting, deterring, and 
overseeing cyber operations against America's adversaries, particularly 
China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and various terrorist organizations.
  General Haugh had a distinguished 34-year career within Air Force 
cyber and intelligence organizations, including multiple command 
assignments. Indeed, I was impressed with not only his technical skill, 
but his professionalism, his commitment to serving the Nation, 
protecting the Constitution, and doing it with a skill which is 
remarkable.
  I am extremely concerned that press reports indicate that Laura 
Loomer, a fringe conspiracy theorist convinced President Trump to 
dismiss General Haugh and fire a slew of expert staff at the National 
Security Council for no discernible reason.
  Now, when a conspiracy theorist can get into the President's office 
and convince him to fire an officer of General Haugh's demonstrated 
capacity and others on the National Security Council, there is not only 
something wrong with that individual, there is something wrong with the 
President who is listening to them without consulting others.
  By the way, the Senate unanimously confirmed General Haugh to his 
post in December 2023, and once again, the Trump administration has 
given no explanation for his dismissal.
  The Trump administration has not selected a new CYBERCOM commander, 
and it is unclear if there is any sense of urgency to fill this 
position. Secretary Hegseth has given a priceless gift to China, 
Russia, Iran, and North Korea, by purging from our leadership one of 
our most vital national security commanders.
  VADM Shoshana Chatfield served as the U.S Military Representative to 
NATO, the first woman to hold this post. She held a vital leadership 
role within the alliance, particularly as it related to coordinating 
international support to Ukraine. Admiral Chatfield was among the 
finest military officers our Nation had to offer, with a 38-year career 
as a Navy helicopter pilot, foreign policy expert, and preeminent 
military educator, including as President of the Naval War College.
  The Senate unanimously confirmed Vice Admiral Chatfield to her post 
in December 2023. Again, the Trump administration has given no 
justification for her dismissal and has not nominated any replacement 
to this critical posting at NATO.
  Gen. James Slife was the U.S. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff, the 
second highest ranking officer in the Air Force. He spent most of his 
36-year career as a special operations helicopter pilot, a daunting and 
dangerous pursuit. He deployed many times around the world and flew 
countless combat missions in perilous conditions.
  General Slife risked his life repeatedly for our Nation and led his 
fellow special operators and airmen with distinction. Again, the Senate 
unanimously confirmed General Slife to his post in December of 2023. 
The Trump administration has given no explanation for his dismissal, 
nor have they nominated any officer to help lead the Air Force.
  Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short was the first female senior military 
assistant to the Secretary of Defense. She advised the Secretary and 
served as a representative for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 
Staff, coordinating policy and operations across the Joint Staff, 
combatant commands, and with the U.S. interagency. A command pilot with 
more than 1,800 flight hours, including more than 430 combat hours in 
an A-10, she flew in Operations Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, and 
Enduring Freedom and commanded airmen at the squadron, wing, major 
command, and combatant command levels.
  The Senate unanimously confirmed her to her post. The Trump 
administration has given no explanation for her dismissal.
  Finally, I am deeply concerned by Secretary Hegseth's dismissal of 
the Judge Advocates General of the military services. These officers, 
known as TJAGs, are the most senior uniformed officers in the military. 
These officers each served more than 30 years in uniform as military 
lawyers. They were strictly apolitical and held fundamental roles 
ensuring that balanced, legal counsel was part of every military policy 
discussion. These officers provided legal oversight that spanned 
military justice, operational law, administrative compliance, 
government ethics, and U.S. adherence to the law of armed conflict.
  These unprecedented firings, along with the firings of the inspectors 
general, should alarm everyone about the commitment of the President 
and the Secretary of Defense to follow the rule of law for the military 
and also within the United States and across the world.
  The Defense Department is one of the most complex institutions in the 
world, with a budget of nearly $900 billion and a workforce of nearly 3 
million military and civilian personnel. It is an organization that 
requires strong leadership, stability, predictability, and trust. These 
qualities are critical because we ask the Department's men and women to 
risk their lives every day in the service of this country.
  Those men and women who gave their lives and all of those who are 
still serving at this moment deserve the best. They deserve a leader 
who is truly laser-focused on readiness, lethality, and the mission, 
not someone who treats his position as Secretary as a performative 
exercise complete with a Twitter feed dominated with workout videos. 
Our servicemembers deserve better. They deserve someone who is focused 
on them, not focused on himself.
  If Secretary Hegseth does not improve his job performance, the 
conditions at the Pentagon will continue to deteriorate, and something 
worse is bound to happen.
  I hope Secretary Hegseth takes note.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.