Hegseth under fire over $45M Army parade, $134M LA deployment costs

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made his first appearance before the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee on Tuesday to defend the Trump administration’s $1 trillion Pentagon funding request. 

Big picture view:

In his opening remarks, Hegseth laid out his vision: "restore the warrior ethos, rebuild our military, and reestablish deterrence," declaring, "the threats we face are serious, and so must our investments be."

He affirmed a new merit-based approach, asserting, "DEI is dead," a signal of his shift away from diversity initiatives. 

But the hearing quickly turned tense when lawmakers demanded accountability over two major and controversial expenditures: the domestic deployment of nearly 5,000 troops to Los Angeles and the Army’s 250th birthday parade in Washington.

Army 250 Military Parade budget

Local perspective:

Lawmakers questioned the Pentagon’s plan to spend $45 million on a military parade in Washington to commemorate the Army’s 250th birthday and coincide with President Trump’s birthday.

"I’d like to know how much this parade is going to cost. I have sent the department letters on several occasions on this, and I’m still waiting for a response," said Rep. Betty McCollum (D‑Minn.) 

"Thankfully, unlike the previous administration, we've got a 13% increase in our defense budget," said Hegseth Tuesday. 

But specifics about the Army parade budget were not shared. 

The $45 million number is the cost from just the Army – not including security costs from Secret Service, MPD or USPP. 

LA protests National Guard deployment

What they're saying:

Lawmakers zeroed in on the Pentagon’s deployment of approximately 4,800 National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations amid immigration-related protests.

Rep. Betty McCollum (D‑Minn.) was among the first to challenge Hegseth, describing the deployment of the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles by Trump as "premature and escalatory," and cautioning that troops should be "honored, not exploited."

In response, Hegseth insisted, "ICE agents should be allowed to be safe… all of the units on the ground have been fully trained."

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) expressed frustration over the lack of coordination with state leaders. 

"I want to express my severe concern with the deployment of the National Guard without conversation with the State of California," he said. "There have been photos that have shown these troops sleeping on the floor and not given food, fluid, and water."

"I’m not going to take the fact that we don’t care about the troops. That’s a disingenuous attack that misrepresents how much we care," said Hegseth, insisting that troops are now being "housed and fed" in real-time and had responded "rapidly to a deteriorating situation."

Bryn MacDonnell, a special assistant to Hegseth, told lawmakers the estimated cost of the Los Angeles deployment is about $134 million, mostly due to travel, lodging and meals. 

Lawmakers also raised concerns about the use of combat-trained units on U.S. soil.

Gen. Eric Smith, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, testified that the 700 Marines sent to L.A. were trained in "crowd control, embassy reinforcement," and similar missions. "This battalion was ready for that," Smith said.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) pushed back.

"I’m deeply worried that the deployment increased the risk of lethal force possibly being used," said Blumenthal.