WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators for the first time are poised to question military leaders over President Donald Trump’s use of the National Guard in American cities, an extraordinary move that has prompted legal challenges as well as questions about states’ rights and the use of the military on U.S. soil.
The hearing Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee is expected to feature tough questioning for Pentagon leaders over the legality of the deployments, which in some places were done over the objections of mayors and governors.
Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., has stated she would hold up the annual defense bill to ensure this hearing occurs, citing the importance of addressing these concerns.
Duckworth said, Donald Trump is illegally deploying our nation’s service members under misleading if not false pretexts. The senator emphasized that traditional military deployments have responded to natural disasters, not immigration enforcement.
In the wake of a recently ruled federal decision halting Trump's deployment of California's National Guard, there remains heightened tension around how military resources are being utilized during domestic incidents. This has sparked a broader conversation about military readiness, legal protections for the troops, and the implications of a militarized response to civil issues.
