California Democrat Pete Aguilar pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s claim that National Guard troops were sent to Los Angeles without food and water and had to sleep on the floor.
“The commanders and troops on the field are very well-prepared, sir,” Hegseth responded. “They responded incredibly rapidly to a deteriorating situation with equipment and capabilities … There are moments where you make do as best you can temporarily, but we are ensuring they are housed, fed, water capabilities in real-time from my office because I care that much about the California Guard and the Marines and the men and women who are supporting crises on the ground.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during a House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing on oversight of the Defense Department, on Capitol Hill on June 10, 2025.
Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images
Hegseth posted two images on X on Monday with a message aimed at Trump: “You sent your troops here without fuel, food, water or a place to sleep. Here they are — being forced to sleep on the floor, piled on top of one another. If anyone is treating our troops disrespectfully, it is you.”
