WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Penn.), Ranking Member of the Military Personnel Subcommittee, released the following joint statement in response to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s gathering of top U.S. military leaders to Quantico.
 
“Secretary Hegseth summoning hundreds of general officers and flag officers from around the world at significant cost and on the eve of a Republican-led government shutdown to promote a regressive culture war is a staggering and unacceptable waste of time, money, and resources. 
 
“Changes in Department of Defense processes and policies have been communicated clearly and effectively by previous administrations, both Republican and Democratic, without resorting to blatantly partisan pep rallies. Today’s spectacle, led by Secretary Hegseth, wasn’t just a distraction from the serious business of ensuring our national security, it undermines the core American principle of an apolitical U.S. military. Our service members swear an oath to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution and to follow the legal orders of the President, not to any political ideology. 
 
“To have the President of the United States also engage in this travesty and make such vitriolic political attacks in a rambling and incoherent way, while at the same time issuing serious threats to deploy troops across America against Americans, was beyond the pale. 
 
“Our service members, our country, and the world is watching. What we saw today is an embarrassment that threatens to weaken our position in the face of threats and challenges from around the globe and further undermine confidence here at home.”  

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