Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, responding to reporters’ questions concerning the decision to send Marines and National Guard troops into Los Angeles as protests continue against Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions, told Newsmax that the federal government is working to secure the city because its mayor and governor won’t.
“We’re securing a city that Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass refused to,” Hegseth told Kilmeny Duchardt, Newsmax’s congressional correspondent, stopping in the halls of Congress for a quick comment.
Hegseth was questioned by House Democrats Tuesday while testifying before the House Appropriations Committee, where he defended the Pentagon’s deployment of nearly 5,000 National Guard members and active-duty Marines to assist the Los Angeles police, reported The New York Times.
He also suggested that the use of the National Guard would expand under Trump to defend the homeland.
“I think we’re entering another phase, especially under President Trump with his focus on the homeland, where the National Guard and reserves become a critical component of how we secure that homeland,” Hegseth, a former National Guardsman, testified.
Newsom and other Democrats have expressed concerns that the deployments may serve as a test run for urban areas where large protests are springing up over the administration’s immigration enforcement actions.
GET TODAY :
is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the channel on your cable system –
Sign up for and get , our streaming channel and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight’s special series and President Trump’s comedy programs and much more!
Watch on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch anytime, anywhere!
Start your now:
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
