1. United States
2. Maine
3. Letter

Congress Must Act: Military Politicization and Catastrophic Budget Priorities   I am writing as a deeply alarmed constituent. The events of this past week demand a congressional response, and I have not seen one.   Since January 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired or forced out more than a dozen senior generals and admirals, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and other top service leaders, often without public explanation. This week, he fired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, two other generals, and the Army chief of chaplains, again without stating a reason. Reporting suggests these moves reflect personal and political grievances rather than substantive military disagreements. Five former Secretaries of Defense — including retired General Jim Mattis, who served in this role under President Trump himself — wrote to Congress calling these firings ‘reckless’ and requesting immediate hearings to assess the national security implications. That was months ago. No such hearings have been held by Republican congressional leadership.   On the same day as the most recent firings, the White House released its FY2027 budget proposal requesting $1.5 trillion for defense — a 44% increase over current spending levels and the largest such request in U.S. history. Simultaneously, it proposes cutting nondefense discretionary spending by 10%, or $73 billion, with reductions falling on housing assistance, community services, healthcare programs, child care, clean energy, and education.   The president’s own stated rationale for these domestic cuts was captured on video at a White House Easter luncheon and briefly posted on the White House YouTube channel before being deleted. He said: ‘We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of day care. It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things.’ He directed his budget director accordingly.   These are not abstractions. Medicaid covers more than 70 million Americans. Child care assistance supports working families. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program keeps people warm and cool. These programs have overwhelming public support and serve constituents in every district in this country.   A strong military requires strong civilian institutions, a healthy workforce, and an officer corps that gives honest advice without fear of political reprisal. We are now weakening all three simultaneously.   I am asking you specifically to:             1.         Support or call for immediate congressional hearings on the national security implications of the ongoing purge of senior military leadership.             2.         Oppose any budget proposal that makes these trade-offs — record defense spending financed by gutting healthcare, housing, and child care.             3.         Assert Congress’s constitutional authority over the military and federal spending, and exercise meaningful oversight of the executive branch.   You took an oath to the Constitution, not to any administration. The moment to act is not later. It is now.