Shaheen Statement on Hegseth Publicity Stunt at Quantico

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement:

“Today’s gathering proved to be nothing more than a waste of our generals’ time and American taxpayer money. This stunt reflects a Secretary who is primarily concerned with his public image and the approval of the President. It undermines the greatest military in the world to suggest that our senior-most officers need President Trump or Secretary Hegseth to tell them what it means to be a warfighter.

“Let’s be clear: Taking senior military officers out of the field where they're needed—including many who had to fly across the globe to be in-person—to hear the President and Secretary deliver a politically-tinged made-for-TV address will not make us stronger or more lethal. The Secretary’s job is to keep our service members safe and Americans out of harm’s way – and today’s speech was nothing short of a dereliction of that responsibility.”

###