A growing number of congressional Democrats are indicating they want Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed from his post, and some are linking that demand to negotiations over emergency defense funding and annual Pentagon appropriations that must be resolved before a December 11 deadline.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told The Hill that Hegseth’s departure would “help lower the partisan temperature” surrounding the National Defense Authorization Act and defense appropriations bills. It is among the more direct statements yet from a senior Democrat tying Hegseth’s future to the fate of must-pass national security legislation.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has said that if Democrats win control of the House, “one of the first things we’re gonna do” is “run Pete Hegseth out of town.” Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) has called impeaching Hegseth one of the caucus’s “top three priorities.”
Policy disputes behind the push
The friction has built around changes Hegseth has made to military policy, including the reinstatement of physical standards for combat roles. Liberal groups and some Democratic lawmakers have backed lawsuits challenging those standards, arguing they effectively exclude women from combat positions. Senate Democrats have also raised broader concerns about personnel decisions and promotions under Hegseth.
Supporters of the changes point to recruiting numbers, which have reached record levels under Hegseth’s tenure. Brent Sadler, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a retired Navy captain, has described the shift as a return to the military’s core mission, saying effectiveness “always hinges on the threat of lethality” and that “the more that we try to water that down, we get away from the real mission of the military.”
Ukraine satellite dispute adds pressure
Tensions have also grown over reported restrictions on Ukraine’s access to Starshield satellite communications. House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro and Defense Subcommittee Ranking Member Betty McCollum sent Hegseth a letter demanding a 30-day investigation, saying the restrictions could be seen as militarily assisting Russia amid rising civilian casualties in Ukraine.
Hegseth has pushed back on the claims. Asked whether U.S. policy toward Ukraine, including Starshield coverage, had changed, he responded:
“We haven’t pulled anything back. There are terms of service that ultimately need to be complied with, and that’s where Starlink has the option to make those decisions. But nothing’s changed from our view. We haven’t made any directives or anything like that.”
Stakes for the Pentagon budget
Emergency defense funding and regular Pentagon appropriations are set to expire December 11. The bills cover ongoing military operations, munitions replenishment and readiness accounts. If Congress fails to pass them, the Pentagon could face funding shortfalls for active missions, delays in equipment maintenance, and further pressure on stockpiles already reduced by operations in the Middle East.
With the midterm elections set for November 3, the outcome could determine which party controls the leverage in the funding fight and whether Hegseth’s position becomes a formal bargaining point in budget talks.
