The US "The Hill" reported on the 19th that Democratic members of the Federal Senate are discussing privately to make the replacement of War Secretary Hegseth a condition of post-election defense budget negotiations in order to strive for cross-party cooperation. However, U.S. President Trump still supports Hegseth, and some Republican federal senators also believe that Trump is unlikely to replace his own appointed defense secretary in exchange for Democratic support for the budget.
The United States will hold midterm elections on November 3. After the election and before the new Congress takes office in January next year, the current Congress can still deal with the budget and other important bills. Democratic federal senators are considering using this transition period to block emergency defense funding proposed by the White House and the Department of Defense's annual budget, which is due to expire on December 11, and ask the government to make concessions on personnel issues.
Democratic U.S. Senator Tim Kaine said Hegseth's departure may help reduce the opposition between the two parties on defense issues and facilitate the passage of defense authorization and appropriation bills in Congress. Another Democratic senator, Brian Schatz, said whether the military conflict between the United States and Iran can end before the end of the year will affect the chances of the two parties reaching a budget agreement.
"I personally think that if the war is over, the defense authorization and defense appropriations bills have a chance of gaining bipartisan support. I think if the war is not over, things are going to be extremely difficult," Schatz said.
However, a Republican U.S. senator who declined to be named said that asking Trump to remove Hegseth "crossed a line" and showed that the Democratic strategy may not be successful.
Hegseth has also become a major Democratic target in the midterm elections. The New York Times reported that Democratic candidates are linking the war in Iran, rising gasoline prices and military management issues with Hegseth's leadership performance to win support from voters.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said last week that if Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives, they will oust Hegseth. "We're going to get Hegseth out of Washington," he said.
Democratic candidates also criticized military service conditions. California Democratic House candidate Marni von Wilpert called for an independent investigation into the nearly 11-month deployment of the USS Lincoln, and said Hegseth should explain the living conditions on the ship to the families of the officers and soldiers instead of just arranging photos for publicity. Colorado Democratic House candidate Manny Rutinel released a campaign video using footage of Hegseth working out with soldiers to criticize his policies and linking the Trump administration to rising gas prices.
In addition to pressure from Democrats, Hegseth also faces skepticism within the Republican Party. According to "Capitol Hill", the Department of War's recruitment performance reached a record high during Hegseth's tenure, and Trump also publicly praised him for looking like "the standard look of a typical military leader." However, some Republican senators are dissatisfied with his dismissal of many senior military and War Department officials, including Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, Army Chief of Staff Randy George, Navy Secretary John Phelan, and the highest-ranking U.S. military officer in Europe, four-star general Chris Donahue.
Hegseth has also received attention recently for a number of national security decisions. Trump vetoed his proposed live-streaming of the execution of Major Nidal Hasan. Hassan was convicted of the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood Army Base in Texas that killed 13 people and injured more than 30 others.
In addition, members of Congress also questioned whether the Pentagon had suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine or restricted Ukraine's use of Starshield satellite network services without Trump's knowledge or approval. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins and Republican Senators John Cornyn, Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski sent a letter to Defense Department Inspector General Platte Moring last week requesting an investigation into whether Pentagon officials directed or authorized changes to intelligence sharing and satellite service arrangements with Ukraine.
Collins also criticized Hegseth for not fully foreseeing Iran's possible blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which would impact global oil transportation. "The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, for example, should have been expected," Collins said last month. "It happened during the Iran-Iraq war, and it was clearly a leverage tool, but there doesn't appear to be any plan to deal with it."
Hegseth also faces the threat of impeachment by the House of Representatives. Republican Congressman Thomas Massie posted a message on the social platform X on the 17th, calling on Trump to proactively remove Hegseth to avoid impeachment. "Trump should fire Hegseth to avoid impeachment. That's the above-board approach," Massey wrote.
Democratic members of the House of Representatives have proposed six articles of impeachment against Hegseth in April this year, and plan to further promote it next year. New Mexico Democratic Representative Melanie Stansbury said that if Democrats regain the majority in the House of Representatives, impeachment of Hegseth should be listed as one of the "top three priorities" next year.
Trump has not indicated any intention to replace Hegseth. As the midterm elections approach, issues such as the defense budget, the war in Iran, and military support to Ukraine may further intensify the opposition between the two parties in Congress. Hegseth's stay will also become an important focus of post-election congressional negotiations.
