Duckworth-Secured Hearing on Domestic Deployments Exposes Three Damning Revelations from Top Trump Defense Officials
In first Senate hearing on Trump’s illegal deployments, Duckworth warned that Trump’s continued misuse of the military in our communities risks making Americans fear, rather than respect, our troops
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – At this morning’s U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) exposed three damning revelations from top leaders at the Department of Defense (DoD) and she underscored the devastating toll Donald Trump’s domestic military deployments are having on American servicemembers and citizens alike in Illinois and across the country. During her questioning of top Trump Defense officials, the Administration refused to rule out the possibility that the mission would expand beyond protecting federal property and personnel, the possibility that troops could be deployed for law enforcement functions or the possibility that the DoD would fail to provide legal protection for servicemembers who try to protect civilians from abusive federal agents. The Senator also slammed Trump for manufacturing circumstances where reasonable civilians could end up fearing the same troops they once counted on to protect them—something that neither makes America safer nor more secure. Duckworth’s full opening remarks, initial questioning and closing questioning can be found on the Senator’s YouTube.
In her opening statement at the hearing, Duckworth said: “Military service involves risks. And our servicemembers accept those risks knowingly... selflessly. So we better be damn sure that the mission is the right one...that it is clear and effective...and that it serves our national security. If we stand by while this Administration pursues another irresponsible, open-ended campaign with no defined mission, no clear authorities, no set timeline and no transparent end state, we fail our troops. We fail their families. And we fail the American people.
“The power to deploy troops domestically must remain exceptional, accountable and rooted in law—not in one man's judgment about what constitutes disorder.”
Duckworth explained that by forcing our troops to defend Trump’s abusive federal law enforcement agents who repeatedly used excessive force against American civilians, he is forcing our heroes to make impossible decisions between upholding the Constitution by protecting peaceful protestors and executing the President’s questionable orders.
“For the past two months, Illinoisans have seen DHS federal agents abusing our communities—and President Trump wanted to put our troops in the middle,” continued Duckworth. “In the face of violent federal agents repeatedly using excessive force, Trump is forcing our servicemembers to make a horrible choice: uphold their loyalty to the Constitution and protect peaceful protesters—or execute questionable orders from the President. I fear the day when Americans stop thanking our troops for their service because they’re afraid of them.”
During her questioning, the Defense Department's Acting General Counsel, Charles Young, refused to commit to providing legal representation for servicemembers who intervene to stop a civilian from being wrongfully harmed by a federal agent. Duckworth underscored that law enforcement agents have a legal duty to intervene to prevent a fellow officer from using excessive force—while uniformed servicemembers have no comparable obligations, nor accompanying legal protection if they decide to intervene against a federal agent to protect a civilian. They do so at their own risk.
Duckworth continued: “The courts have stopped Trump so far—finding again and again that there is no legal reason for what Trump is doing. But in his ideal world, Trump wants our professional military to defend unprofessional and abusive federal law enforcement agents. It is not ICE agents who are being attacked. It is ICE agents who were tear-gassing toddlers... Pointing loaded weapons at unarmed bystanders... Hauling preschool teachers from daycare in front of kids... And rappelling from helicopters onto apartment buildings in the dead of night to rip families from their beds and detain them for hours—just to admit later that they have no basis to file any charges. That is the terror that is happening in Chicago.”
Duckworth also criticized Trump and his Administration for repeatedly trying to blur the lines between our highly trained troops and lawless federal agents, which is eroding public trust in our military. During her questioning, Duckworth pressed U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) Commander General Gregory M. Guillot, USAF, about whether the Department was ensuring differentiation between our troops and federal agents. He confirmed that he had not received any guidance or orders from the Administration on making this distinction. However, he assured that he has the authority to direct members under his command to distinguish themselves from ICE.
In this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, a Duckworth-led provision was included that would require servicemembers identify themselves as part of the military when assisting federal law enforcement in the United States. As the Trump Administration continues to deploy our nation’s military into our communities to intimidate their fellow Americans, this provision ensures that servicemembers identify themselves properly—to avoid public misunderstanding about who is providing logistical support versus conducting arrests or law enforcement duties.
Duckworth successfully secured this hearing in early October—weeks after she led all of her fellow SASC Democrats in calling on SASC Chairman Wicker to hold this hearing, and shortly after she blocked expedited passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in order to secure it.
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