WATCH: Rep. Tran Presses Defense Secretary Hegseth on Deployment of Federal Troops to LA, Removal of Senator Padilla

Washington, DC – Rep. Derek Tran questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as he testified before the House Armed Services Committee. Rep. Tran demanded answers regarding Secretary Hegseth’s decision to deploy the National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles without coordinating with state and local law enforcement, and about the treatment of California Senator Padilla at Secretary Noem’s public press conference.

Watch Rep. Tran’s full line of questioning HERE.

An excerpt of Rep. Tran’s closing remarks are as follows:

Secretary Hegseth, by your own admission, this political stunt is expected to cost the American taxpayers at least $134 million and will disrupt the lives of 700 active-duty Marines and 4,000 National Guardsmen. Your redirection of combat-ready troops from real-world national security threats to manage a domestic protest is a gross mismanagement and a slap in the face to the service members whose lives you are disrupting through this stunt. As a Veteran myself, it is a disgrace, and you should be ashamed.

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Congressman Derek Tran represents California’s 45th Congressional District. Serving his first term in Congress, Congressman Tran is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and House Small Business Committee, where he is Ranking Member of the Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations Subcommittee. Congressman Tran is the son of Vietnamese refugees, a Veteran, and fought for consumers as an attorney before entering Congress.