WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to testify Tuesday before a House subcommittee, where lawmakers are expected to question his first five months in office.
The hearing marks Hegseth’s first public appearance on Capitol Hill since his Senate confirmation, which required a tie-breaking vote. It was the closest vote of any of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet appointees.
Hegseth is likely to be grilled over his deployment of about 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles to support more than 4,100 National Guard troops in protecting federal buildings and personnel amid protests against immigration raids.
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While the Posse Comitatus Act prohibits troops from policing U.S. citizens on American soil, it remains unclear whether the Trump administration will invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows troops to do so.
Hegseth has also drawn criticism for sharing sensitive military details over Signal, a private messaging app. One group chat, started by then-national security adviser Mike Waltz, was used to share sensitive information about U.S. strikes in Yemen and included senior administration officials and the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg.
Multiple investigations are currently underway. The Defense Department’s acting inspector general is examining whether classified information was mishandled and whether aides were asked to delete any Signal messages.
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Hegseth’s testimony on Tuesday is the first in a series of appearances. He will also testify before the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee on Wednesday and the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday.
Lawmakers are expected to grill him on additional Pentagon spending controversies, including a proposed $45 million military parade which coincides with Trump’s birthday and the Army’s 250th celebration, as well as plans to turn a Qatari jet into a new Air Force One.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
