As part of our regular In-House Opinions feature, in which we ask Southern California members of the House of Representatives for their takes on current issues, we queried them this week about the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been at sea for nearly nine months, with sailors reporting shortages of basic supplies, malfunctioning systems and faltering mental health.
When President Trump was asked last Friday about service members’ families who have publicly voiced their worries, he insisted that they were not concerned: “No, they’re not,” he said, adding that the ship’s deployment had not “gone on nearly long enough.”
The USS George Washington has arrived in the Middle East from the Pacific to relieve the Lincoln. The ship, along with its crew of about 5,000 sailors, began its journey home to San Diego on Thursday after nine months of deployment.
Adm. Brad Cooper, who heads U.S. Central Command, in an op-ed about the Abraham Lincoln published in The Wall Street Journal on Sunday, wrote: “Godspeed and enjoy the well-deserved reunion soon.”
“The Abraham Lincoln has been deployed in the Middle East as part of American operations against Iran,” The New York Times reported Thursday. “Reports began surfacing in recent weeks about poor quality of life aboard the ship because of logistics challenges brought about by Iran’s destruction of a Navy base in Manama, Bahrain, that served as a vital supply hub.”
The aircraft carrier departed San Diego on Nov. 21 of last year, spending all of those 272 days at sea, except for a brief stop in Guam in December and then in Oman to take on supplies. It has been reported that thousands of sailors aboard the ship have not had any days off to rest, and now have a roughly 13,000-mile voyage home, which should take four to five weeks.
Most local representatives asked by us for comment declined to provide comment, including Reps. Ken Calvert, Jay Obernolte, George Whitesides, Mar Takano, Norma Torres, Laura Friedman and Robert Garcia.
Here are some replies on the situation from House members:
Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance: “I’ve been appalled by how callous Trump has been about reports that the USS Abraham Lincoln hasn’t had adequate food or supplies for months. We still haven’t gotten a real explanation from the Trump administration, only denials that there’s a problem. We know Iran struck multiple U.S. bases, making it harder to resupply ships in the region. And we only know as much as we do because reporters have been digging into this and exposing just how much the administration is trying to keep from the public. The Department of Defense owes the American people answers about what is happening in this war and what our service members are being put through. Instead, they’ve mocked concerns for service members and hidden the truth. That’s unacceptable and outrageous.”
Rep. Young Kim, R-Anaheim Hills: “Our servicemembers and their families make extraordinary sacrifices for our nation, and their safety must remain a top priority. I am committed to making sure our men and women in uniform have the resources they need to complete their missions safely and successfully, and will continue to advocate for their needs in Congress.”
Rep. Dave Min, D-Irvine: “President Trump’s reckless and costly war with Iran is an abject disaster. There is no exit plan, no strategic objectives, and we are spending many billions of dollars on this illegal war even as it is driving up the costs of gas, utilities and everyday goods and services. At the same time, Trump’s complete disrespect for our servicemembers and their families is stunning. Our soldiers put their lives on the line, while their loved ones must deal with them being deployed far away from home. America deserves a president who doesn’t call veterans ‘suckers’ and ‘losers’ and who honors the sacrifices our military servicemembers are making.”