United States Secretary of the Navy

San Diego's congressional delegation—Reps. Mike Levin, Scott Peters, Sara Jacobs and Juan Vargas—sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao demanding answers over reported poor conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. The carrier and its roughly 5,000 sailors have been deployed since Thanksgiving supporting operations related to the war in Iran, exceeding 240 consecutive days at sea without a port stop and well past an initial May return date. Reports describe moldy showers, broken toilets, lack of hot water, food and supply shortages, and sailors attempting to jump overboard amid fatigue concerns.

Arizona Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego have also demanded Pentagon accountability, with Kelly citing sailors' mental health struggles. Hegseth has publicly denied the reports, accusing media of misrepresenting the strike group's mission. Lawmakers posed detailed questions about supply delays, safety reporting channels, meal access, and disease prevention. President Trump said the Lincoln will soon be relieved by the USS George Washington, though officials say that ship's arrival could still take several weeks, and he maintains the deployment has not been excessively long.
Lawmakers from San Diego and Arizona press the Pentagon over hardship conditions during the USS Abraham Lincoln's extended deployment.

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Lawmakers press Pentagon over prolonged USS Abraham Lincoln deployment and crew conditions

Lawmakers press Pentagon over prolonged USS Abraham Lincoln deployment and crew conditions

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