U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is renewing her call for public hearings to investigate the toll she says President Donald Trump's war against Iran has had on American servicemembers.
Duckworth made the statement as the USS Lincoln returned to port in San Diego on Wednesday after more than 300 days at sea. She said troops aboard the Lincoln and other ships and bases in the region suffered deteriorating conditions, rationed meals and dwindling supplies.
Last month, Duckworth joined Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed and other Senate Democrats to press Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao for answers. Duckworth said it was then revealed that eight troops serving across the Lincoln's strike group attempted suicide.
"Pete Hegseth likes to say 'war is hell,' but what happened aboard the USS Lincoln was a level of pain that could've been avoided," Duckworth said. "The Trump Administration just chose not to."
Duckworth said Republicans should not allow the administration to continue relying on closed-door briefings.
"It's past time we held public hearings to investigate the extent of how badly Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth are failing our servicemembers while their families are worried sick at home," she said.
In August, Duckworth led Senate Armed Services Committee Democrats in calling on Chairman Roger Wicker to hold a hearing on the war's impact on troops. She also introduced legislation she said would stop the administration from obscuring how long the war has lasted and its true cost.
Duckworth said she is one of the "Senate Six," the group of senators who have forced votes on War Powers Resolutions aimed at ending hostilities in Iran. She said Republicans have blocked those efforts nine times. Duckworth also said she would vote against the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027 as long as the war continues.