Much to the Democrats’ dismay, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has made a bold announcement: President Donald Trump can deploy military forces anywhere.
Watch the video down below.
In his testimony before the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee, Hegseth declared the president has “every authority” to send troops to American cities.
There, law enforcement officers have faced violent resistance while attempting to deport criminal illegal aliens.
During the heated hearing, Hegseth defended the deployment of 4,800 National Guard and Marine troops to Los Angeles.
The operation, estimated to cost $134 million, came in response to attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents attempting to carry out deportation orders against criminal illegal aliens.
“They’re being attacked for doing their job, which is deporting illegal criminals that should happen in any city, Minneapolis or Los Angeles,” the secretary explained.
“And if they’re attacked, that’s lawless and President Trump believes in law and order, so he has every authority,” he continued.
Hegseth specifically targeted California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for their failure to maintain order and protect federal agents.
The Trump administration cited Title 10 of the U.S. Code as the legal basis for the deployment, which allows military forces to protect federal buildings and personnel when local authorities fail to do so.
“The governor of California is unable to execute the laws of the United States,” Hegseth declared.
“The governor of California has failed to protect his people, along with the mayor of Los Angeles and so President Trump has said he will protect our agents and our Guard and Marines are proud to do it,” he added.
In response, Democrat lawmakers challenged the legality and necessity of the deployment.
Rep. Betty McCollum criticized the move as “premature” and “escalatory,” while Rep. Pete Aguilar questioned the legal basis under 10 U.S. Code 12406.
Aguilar also raised concerns about troop preparedness, pointing to images of soldiers sleeping on floors.
The secretary dismissed concerns about troop conditions, stating, “That’s a disingenuous attack that misrepresents how much we care about our troops.”
“Nobody cares more about the troops at the top than this secretary and the chairman in our department. The commanders and troops on the field are very well prepared,” he concluded.
President Trump himself has characterized the protesters as “violent, insurrectionist mobs” on his Truth Social platform.
There is speculation that the president might invoke the Insurrection Act, which has been used 30 times throughout American history, to authorize military intervention when local authorities cannot or will not enforce the law.
While troops are currently restricted from patrolling streets or assisting in arrests, they are carrying guns and ammunition separately for self-defense and property protection.
Concerns have been raised about the adequacy of Marines’ training for domestic crowd control, with Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith noting they receive just over two hours of such training.
Beyond the immediate crisis, Hegseth outlined the administration’s military priorities.
These include a $961.6 billion request for fiscal year 2026 to rebuild military strength, counter China’s growing threat, enhance border security, and develop a new missile defense system.
Additionally, the budget also includes a 10.5% pay raise for junior enlisted troops.
Happening now: đ¨ Pete Hegseth just defended the deployment of the National Guard and Marines because of the failures of Mayor Bass and Governor Newsom!
This is what I voted for! đđť pic.twitter.com/ND8Jq1uRbP
— Jay đşđ¸ RECALL Gavin Newsom! (@MasterArborists) June 10, 2025
