'Do You Know How Much Has Actually Been Delivered?': Joe Morelle Presses Pete Hegseth On Ukraine Aid

Forbes Breaking News

7 months ago

At today's House Appropriations Committee hearing, Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY) questioned Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth.

Transcript

00:00Thank you, General, Chairman. I'm grateful for your service and grateful, Mr. Chairman, for the hearing today.

00:08I don't want to pile on, Mr. Secretary, and I'm brand new to this subcommittee,

00:12but I will say that in the same way we wouldn't go into battle without knowing the number of troops,

00:18our weaponry, the number of armaments, equipment, supplies,

00:21it's really almost impossible for this committee to do its job without details from the president,

00:26and from the department, on a budget request.

00:30So I wonder whether or not we could get a commitment from all of you to come back before the committee

00:35when the president's budget request has been delivered so you can answer questions in detail about it.

00:45Certainly, we'll make sure you get those details, Congressman.

00:48Well, getting the details is important, but also being able to answer questions about those details

00:53and what they mean I think would be helpful.

00:55So obviously, you know, this is the chairman's decision,

00:58but I would ask you to consider coming back before the committee

01:01when the president's budget request is submitted to us so we could get your sense of the various items in it.

01:10I want to go back to a topic I think Ms. Kaptor raised, which is Ukraine,

01:15and I really appreciate your comment that when you referred to partners on our side like Ukraine,

01:21so I'm glad we still consider them partners on our side.

01:23Last week, the Ukraine defense contact group met in Brussels.

01:29I know we did not attend.

01:30You did not attend.

01:31And I don't believe you appeared even remotely,

01:36but that was a meeting in which allies coordinated billions in aid to help Ukraine.

01:40We're talking about funding right now without a budget, without a plan to sustain U.S. support

01:47in what I consider the most serious conflict in Europe in a generation.

01:51So can you at least give us a sense, Ms. Secretary,

01:54of the presidential drawdown aid authorized through January 20th.

01:57Do you know how much has actually been delivered?

01:59Which PDA?

02:03Just the presidential authority that was given through January 20th when the new administration took over.

02:09I'm going PDA 71 through 74, and there's a 75th, which has not been allocated,

02:15and we're in the middle of drawdown 71 through 74.

02:19Okay.

02:19Do you have a sense of how much has actually been delivered?

02:23I don't know the exact amount that has been delivered,

02:26but we're actively monitoring it as well as the lifespan of certain munitions.

02:30What munitions remain critical for us, critical for them, critical for allies?

02:35It's real.

02:35We're paying very close attention to the rest of the process.

02:37Okay.

02:38And you can give us a detailed...

02:40Sure.

02:42Do you know whether the department or the president is prepared to ask for funding

02:46for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and at what level?

02:49It is a reduction in this budget.

02:54As you know, this administration takes a very different view of that conflict.

02:58We believe a negotiated peaceful settlement is in the best interest of both parties

03:03and our nation's interests, especially with all the competing interests around the globe.

03:07I don't think the word victory has been well-defined or the path to it,

03:12and as a result, a path to peace that stops the killing and the carnage

03:15is something that President Trump is very invested in.

03:19Well, look, I would certainly...

03:21I think I would define victory as making sure incursions,

03:25illegal incursions by the Russian Federation into Ukraine,

03:29which the sovereign nation would be a victory, but I'll leave that aside.

03:33I want to just touch briefly on, with the limited time I have,

03:38the president has announced $175 billion Golden Dome.

03:42It's been talked about.

03:43I know that what has been talked about, we understand that reconciliation includes a $25 billion down payment.

03:52We haven't really received much in clarity on the specifics.

03:55Can you tell me what the $25 billion will be used for?

03:59Well, sir, there are...

04:00Excuse me.

04:02There are many specifics that are not fitting for this setting.

04:05We're happy to get you, at the appropriate level, the specifics you request.

04:12But what we've done is we've built out the entire understanding of what the architecture would look like,

04:17ensuring it includes existing capabilities that can be fielded rapidly.

04:22As President Trump has made the case, we need this now, not conceptually in the future.

04:28You know, we had SDI under Ronald Reagan, which was a conceptual, which was a concept we've...

04:33Fast forward to the ability to deliver these things, and the American people deserve that kind of protection.

04:37So multiple layers from multiple different types of threats,

04:41coordinated with sensors, both on the ground and in space at other layers.

04:45And we've got one of our best Space Force generals fully focused on that project,

04:50General Gutlein, who has a background in understanding those types of architectures.

04:54So we've pulled the program up to the Office of Secretary of Defense to make sure it's monitored on a monthly...

04:59Can you tell us what the appropriations request will be for Golden Dome in the 26th fiscal year?

05:05Well, the gentleman...

05:06Go ahead, Brent.

05:07Brent, excuse me, Ms. McDonald, you can get back to us on that and for the record, and we'll appreciate that.

05:15Mr. Fleischman, you're recognized.

05:17Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

05:18I want to welcome Secretary Hegseth, General Cain, and Mrs. McDonald.

05:25This has been an outstanding hearing.

05:28Let me just say this.

05:30The world is a dangerous place.

05:32The nation is a dangerous place.

05:34Heartfelt...

'Do You Know How Much Has Actually Been Delivered?': Joe Morelle Presses Pete Hegseth On Ukraine Aid

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