WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to attest Tuesday earlier a House subcommittee, wherever lawmakers are expected to question his archetypal 5 months successful office.
The proceeding marks Hegseth's archetypal nationalist quality connected Capitol Hill since his Senate confirmation, which required a tie-breaking vote. It was the closest ballot of immoderate of President Donald Trump's Cabinet appointees.
Hegseth is apt to beryllium grilled implicit his deployment of astir 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles to enactment much than 4,100 National Guard troops successful protecting national buildings and unit amid protests against migration raids.
While the Posse Comitatus Act prohibits troops from policing U.S. citizens connected American soil, it remains unclear whether the Trump medication volition invoke the Insurrection Act, which allows troops to bash so.
Hegseth has besides drawn disapproval for sharing delicate subject details implicit Signal, a backstage messaging app. One radical chat, started by then-national information advisor Mike Waltz, was utilized to stock delicate accusation astir U.S. strikes successful Yemen and included elder medication officials and the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg.
Multiple investigations are presently underway. The Defense Department's acting inspector wide is examining whether classified accusation was mishandled and whether aides were asked to delete immoderate Signal messages.
Hegseth's grounds connected Tuesday is the archetypal successful a bid of appearances. He volition besides attest earlier the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee connected Wednesday and the House Armed Services Committee connected Thursday.
Lawmakers are expected to grill him connected further Pentagon spending controversies, including a projected $45 cardinal subject parade which coincides with Trump's day and the Army's 250th celebration, arsenic good arsenic plans to crook a Qatari pitchy into a caller Air Force One.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.