Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA) called Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth "incompetent" during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on April 29, 2026 [1].
The exchange highlights growing tensions between congressional oversight committees and the Pentagon regarding military decision-making and administrative accountability.
Carbajal questioned Hegseth over specific military decisions and the level of accountability within the Pentagon. During the line of questioning, Carbajal accused the Defense Secretary of repeated failures in his leadership role [1, 2].
"You were incompetent then, you're incompetent now," Carbajal said [2].
The representative continued his critique by describing the situation as "the gift that keeps on giving" [1]. The hearing took place in Washington, D.C., where committee members examined the current state of national defense and the execution of Pentagon policies [2].
Throughout the proceedings, Carbajal focused on the perceived lack of improvement in Hegseth's performance over time. The confrontation occurred as part of a broader effort by the committee to scrutinize the effectiveness of the Defense Department's current leadership [1, 2].
Hegseth did not provide a detailed rebuttal to the specific characterization of his competence during the exchange, though the hearing continued with further questioning on Pentagon operations [1].
“"You were incompetent then, you're incompetent now."”
This confrontation reflects a deepening partisan divide over the qualification and performance of top military officials. By framing the Secretary's perceived failures as a persistent pattern, Representative Carbajal is signaling a lack of confidence in the Pentagon's current leadership that may lead to increased legislative friction and more aggressive oversight hearings in the coming months.
