Democrats salivate over Pentagon oversight with new majorities

Democrats have been salivating at the possibility of taking back the majority in one or both parties to conduct aggressive oversight of the Pentagon, and Tuesday’s “bluenami” will give them that opportunity.The Democrats picked up a strong majority in both the House and Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections, and within hours, they were already chomping at the bit.Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), positioned to become House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman, delivered a blunt election-night message: “LAWYER UP.” So did Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, who is vying to be the committee’s next chairman. “As a start, we must demand a level of public transparency and accountability by requiring more public testimony from senior Pentagon officials,” Smith said in a letter announcing his pursuit of the gavel, adding it’s “important to reestablish an Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee to help with the committee’s work.”Smith referenced the war in Iran, the military strikes on drug boats, the deployment of U.S. forces to American cities, and defense contracts as all being worth additional scrutiny from the committee.The Iran war The Pentagon has shielded several aspects of the war from the public. Democrats, while in the minority, urged greater transparency but didn’t have the power to compel it. Now they will.The department told Congress in mid-October that the war has cost more than $47 billion, but that total does not include any funding to repair damaged U.S. military bases in the region that had come under Iranian attack. The Pentagon is considering its long-term Middle East footprint, and there are also questions of whether host countries would contribute to rebuilding these facilities.The Pentagon has also faced criticism for its transparency regarding casualties in the war. The department compiles and shares casualty information in the Department Casualty Analysis System, which is publicly available. They have received criticism due to delayed reporting and the separation of the Iran war into two separate categories bifurcated by the collapse of the Memorandum of Understanding.Multiple U.S. service members deployed to the Middle East since the war began have attempted to commit suicide, a concerning note that emphasizes the overwhelming stress service members had to endure during combat operations.“I think every committee is going to be looking for ways to increase its oversight and its scrutiny of the administration. That’s exactly what you would expect when the House and Senate are controlled by the party that doesn’t control the White House,” Bradley Bowman, a senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Washington Examiner.President Donald Trump speaks as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listens during an observance ceremony on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, at the Pentagon in Washington. (AP Photo) Bowman, a former Senate staffer with the Senate Armed Services Committee, described many of Hegseth’s efforts as “necessary and laudable,” but added, “I think sometimes his own style is a leading obstacle to him accomplishing his objectives.”There are also questions about the military’s use of resources in the war and the effort to replace them. While Democrats have said they want the war in Iran to end and many have called for a reduction in the Pentagon’s budget, the department will still need to figure out how to replace the expended resources, like munitions, as well as damaged or destroyed U.S. military systems.Firing of top leaders Hegseth has fired more than a dozen senior leaders during his tenure with little public explanation.The firings have included: Gen. Charles Q. Brown, the former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff; Gen. Randy George, then the chief of staff of the Army; Army Secretary Dan Driscoll; Navy Secretary John Phelan; Adm. Lisa Franchetti, then the Navy’s chief of naval operations; Adm. Linda Fagan, then the Coast Guard commandant; Gen. James Slife, the former vice chief of staff of the Air Force, among others.Hegseth said last month he had fired 10% of the generals and admirals across the military.“The number crunchers say we’ve fired 10% of the generals and admirals across the force, and that number sounds about right. And I know because I directed it that we’ve also reduced the overall number of general officer slots by an additional 10%. So yes, 20% reduction across the board. Now the media calls that a purge. I call it accountability and long overdue, and frankly, the bare minimum. As usual, what the media levels as an accusation, I wear as an accomplishment,” he said during his address at Marine Base Quantico.Hegseth has often characterized the department’s previous promotion of diversity and inclusion as a distraction and has indicated that some of the fired senior leaders were terminated over it.Back in April, he told lawmakers, “Ultimately, my view in coming into this department, as I stated in my confirmation hearing, was to change the culture of the department. And it’s ultimately challenging to change the department, the culture of a department with the same people who are a part of or in that department.”His comments came shortly after George’s firing, and both Democrats and Republicans shared their concern over his dismissal.Contracts and possible conflicts of interest The Democrats have already promised to scrutinize various defense contracts that the department has given out over the last couple of years. Some of the contracts have gone to companies whose executives are public supporters of the president, and those will likely face additional scrutiny.Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, will be a target of the Democrats’ oversight.Lawmakers expressed outrage at Musk over Ukraine’s recent disruptions of Starlink and Starshield, two SpaceX products that Ukraine relies on for its connectivity among its military equipment. The Department of Defense Inspector General declined a Senate request to investigate, though the new Congress could review it.President Donald Trump’s sons have ties to several companies that have gotten defense contracts, though they have maintained nothing nefarious took place. Despite their denials of wrongdoing, Congressional Democrats, led by Garcia, have already sought additional information on the deals.Lethal boat strikes Last September, the Pentagon began its campaign of carrying out lethal strikes on suspected drug smuggler vessels transiting the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean.More than 230 boaters have been killed in strikes targeting approximately 70 vessels. In July, the Pentagon announced that U.S. Southern Command had spent roughly $820 million funding Operation Southern Spear.FOX NEWS ELECTION NIGHT VIEWERSHIP PLUMMETS FROM 2022 DURING MIDTERM THRASHING FOR REPUBLICANSCongressional Democrats in particular raised concerns about the legality of these strikes given the lack of due process afforded to those killed in the strikes.Shortly after the U.S. military began this campaign, Hegseth asked Adm. Alvin Holsey, then the commander of U.S. Southern Command, to retire before the end of his tenure.