WASHINGTON—Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the current ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, has forecast intensifying oversight of the Pentagon when Democrats take control of the committee in January.
“My Democratic colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee and I are ready to hit the ground running in the 120th Congress and the top priority will be to conduct vigorous oversight of the Department of Defense and the Trump Administration,” Smith said in a Nov. 4 statement.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth faces an impeachment push in Congress. The blooming oversight agenda could lay the groundwork for efforts to remove Hegseth from office.
“The list of potential oversight topics is long, but the illegal war against Iran is top of mind for me and the American people,” Smith said.
“So too are sweetheart deals and favoritism to certain entities and individuals. We must dive into any waste, fraud, and abuse by examining contracts and other financial support awarded to private companies.”
Smith said U.S. military operations in Latin America and the Caribbean—which have included lethal strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats, and more recent operations against land-based targets—would also be a subject for further investigation.
Hegseth’s push to reshape the military’s culture and leadership appears to be another matter for coming scrutiny. Smith described these efforts as a “purging of the ranks based on loyalty and ideology.”
President Donald Trump’s push for a $1.5 trillion defense budget also appears in doubt. Smith said the United States must rescope its national security goals and ensure the military’s budget does not come at the expense of other key domestic programs.
Outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.)—who has opposed the war with Iran and who lost his primary to a Trump-backed Republican challenger—introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth in September. Massie’s impeachment articles charge Hegseth with directing military operations without sufficient congressional approval, and with allowing extrajudicial killings and military actions without sufficient measures to avoid civilian casualties.
Following sweeping Republican electoral defeats on Nov. 3 that cost them control of both houses of Congress, Massie announced he would reintroduce his impeachment articles when the House returns to session unless Hegseth resigns first.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell pushed back on threats from Congress to remove him.
“Secretary Hegseth will not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points or launch phony investigations where no wrongdoing exists,” he told The Epoch Times on Nov. 5. “The Department of War has followed the law and our Secretary will continue to stand and fight every single day to support and defend the Constitution, lead our troops, and protect America.”
Parnell said Hegseth remains entirely committed to leading the department until Trump’s term ends.
While Trump has rebuffed talk of removing Hegseth, the president has not dismissed the idea of Hegseth leaving the Pentagon to pursue Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s (R-Tenn.) seat when she takes office as the Tennessee governor in January.
“I actually think he’d be very popular if he did that, but I haven’t heard that at all,” Trump told reporters on Nov. 4.
Jill McLaughlin contributed to this report.
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