Defense Secretary testifies on Capitol Hill, faces questions on Signal-Gate, California protests and other hot-button issues

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified on Capitol Hill Tuesday in the first of three hearings this week, addressing issues including the unrest in Los Angeles, the situation in Ukraine, and his involvement in the so-called Signal-Gate scandal.

This was Hegseth’s first time publicly testifying before congressional committees since his confirmation hearing on January 14.

The official also appeared on Capitol Hill to discuss the Defense Department budget as part of the annual appropriations process.

However, lawmakers used the opportunity to question the secretary on several other contentious issues, including the ongoing immigration-related protests in California and the deployment of the National Guard, the Qatari aircraft, and his support for the administration’s military targets.

Hegseth focuses on "war-fighting" mission and avoids controversy

In his opening statement Tuesday, Pete Hegseth focused on the Pentagon’s budget and how it will primarily support the administration’s military objectives, especially its ‘war-fighting’ capabilities.

Among the three key priorities the secretary highlighted for advancing President Trump’s goals were "restoring the warrior spirit," "rebuilding the nation’s military," and "restoring deterrence," according to Hegseth.

However, he did not address the controversies surrounding his use of Signal to discuss military plans for an attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen, or the administration’s recent decision to deploy the National Guard and Marines in response to immigration raid–related protests in California.

The costs of deploying the Marines and National Guard to LA

During the hearing, Minnesota Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum questioned the military deployments to Los Angeles, asking Hegseth how much they cost and what resources were being diverted as a result.

The defense secretary did not answer the question directly. Instead, he brought up the 2020 George Floyd protests in Minneapolis, claiming that local law enforcement failed to do enough to prevent damage to the city budget.

"... ICE agents should be able to be safe and conduct their operations. And we have deployed the National Guard and the Marines to protect them in the performance of their duties," Hegseth said during an exchange with the congresswoman.

More than 4,800 troops to "enforce the law"

In the same vein, Hegseth strongly defended the deployment of 4,800 National Guard and Marine troops to Los Angeles during his first congressional testimony since taking over as defense secretary.

"In Los Angeles, we believe that ICE, a federal law enforcement agency, has the right to safely conduct operations in any state and jurisdiction in the country, especially after 21 million undocumented immigrants crossed our border during the previous administration."

Trump’s order to deploy the National Guard extended beyond Los Angeles, directing Hegseth to “coordinate with state governors and the National Guard Bureau to identify and activate appropriate National Guard members and units under this authority.”

Protests against immigration raids are also occurring in other Democratic-led cities, including Austin and New York.

In his presentation, Hegseth also highlighted military recruitment, noting a record number of enlistments. He said more people are eager to serve under President Donald Trump.