00:04Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Welcome, Mr. Secretary, Mr. Chairman.
00:09Mr. Secretary, you have already ordered 4,000 National Guardsmen into Los Angeles plus 700 active-duty Marines.
00:18That's against the advice and opposition of the governor, the mayor, and the chief of police of Los Angeles.
00:24And these forces are in addition to 11,000 military personnel, active duty, and National Guard that have been deployed to the southern border in support of customs and border protection.
00:38Separately, the Department of Homeland Security has requested more than 20,000 National Guard troops to assist in, I quote, interior immigration efforts.
00:48And I understand you've approved an additional phase of 700 service members for this mission with additional associated command and control from Texas, Florida, and Louisiana.
01:02This week, the Department of Homeland Security sent another request for DOD support to transport ammunition, quote,
01:10quote, to authorize military forces to detain or arrest American citizens, to provide DHS with military drone surveillance support, and to have the Marine Corps advise DHS on running joint operations.
01:26Is it your intent to improve these requests, all of them?
01:30Well, Senator, we very much support President Trump's focus on defending the homeland on our southern border,
01:44as well as supporting law enforcement officials doing their job in ICE in Los Angeles who deserve not to be assaulted, accosted, and rioted
01:53while rounding up one of the 21 million illegals allowed in as an invasion under the previous administration.
02:00Are you prepared to authorize DHS to use drones and also to authorize military forces to detain or arrest American citizens?
02:09Senator, every authorization we've provided the National Guard and the Marines in Los Angeles is under the authority of the President of the United States, is lawful and constitutional.
02:19They are assisting in defending law enforcement officers and law enforcement facilities in the execution of their job in the city of Los Angeles.
02:30How are you paying for this?
02:35Is this done on a reimbursable basis by the Department of Homeland Security?
02:39Or is the Department of Defense paying for this?
02:41As we mentioned yesterday, a lot of this we are paying for, and some will collaborate with DHS on.
02:47And how is that done, given a CR, which restricts your spending dramatically?
02:52What are you taking from?
02:54Readiness?
02:55Well, as we acknowledged, and I can pass to my colleague Bryn who knows the details on this, but in 2025, where we took from, we have completely refunded and then some in the FY26 budget.
03:08Your whole ethic seems to be revolving on the lethality of the military force.
03:13How is this operation with Marines and National Guardsmen improving their lethality?
03:21Senator, you mentioned the 11,000 at the border.
03:24It's actually 13,000.
03:25And I've been down there to speak with them multiple times.
03:29And people will say that mobilization hurts readiness.
03:32When you talk to them, it actually improves their readiness.
03:33I'm talking about lethality.
03:35That's what you talk about all the time.
03:37Readiness and training and accountability is all part of lethality.
03:41The more ready you are, the more capable you are, the more accountable you are, the higher your standards are.
03:46It all makes you more lethal.
03:49And the mission in Los Angeles, as you know well, sir, is not about lethality.
03:54It's about maintaining law and order on behalf of law enforcement agents who deserve to do their job without being attacked by mobs of people.
04:02And so we're very proud that the National Guard and the Marines are on the streets defending the ICE agents, and they will continue to do that.
04:10And order is a civil function under the Constitution of the United States.
04:15Civil enforcement law enforcement authorities, not the U.S. military.
04:20And there's plenty of precedent for the U.S. military supporting law enforcement officers.
04:25What your military is doing right now is laying concentrino wire, guarding buildings, maintaining vehicles for other services.
04:33This is not only, I think, illegal, but also a diminution of the readiness and the focus of the military.
04:42But let me change course a bit.
04:44There's a general understanding that you have taken possession of this Qatari aircraft, the 747.
04:54But there are public reports that Qataris have not yet signed a memorandum of understanding,
05:00which would specify that the agreement was initiated by the Trump administration,
05:06and Qataris not responsible for any future transfers of the plane's ownership.
05:12Are you in possession of the Qatari airplane now?
05:16Any specifics about future aircraft that could be Air Force One can't be discussed here.
05:22But there is a conversation about a memorandum of understanding.
05:25A memorandum of understanding remains to be signed, Senator.
05:28You have signed a contract with a company to reconfigure the aircraft.
05:38What is the price of that contract?
05:41That cannot be revealed in this setting, Senator.
05:43Why can't it be revealed in this setting?
05:44Well, this is the Appropriation Committee of the United States Senate.
05:47We appropriate the money that you will spend after it's authorized by my committee.
05:52And you cannot tell us how much the contract is for.
05:55You will have that number, Senator.
05:56It just can't be talked about in a public realm.
05:58No, we want it now. The contract has been signed, correct?
06:01The contract has been signed?
06:02The memorandum of understanding is not complete.
06:04No, no, I'm talking about the contract with the American contractor.
06:09Has it been signed?
06:11It's nothing on that front that I'm aware of is being executed.
06:15Well, that's contrary to what we've all heard.
06:20Second thing, what's the delivery time in the contract?
06:24Again, the delivery time of anything of that sensitive nature is not for public consumption.
06:29Can you tell me the delivery time for the Boeing aircraft that were being prepared for Air Force One?
06:35Was that in the contract?
06:36One of the problems is that the way we actually procure aircraft in this country takes so long.
06:41Oh, yeah.
06:41When it's ordered, it's seven, eight, nine, ten years late, requiring the necessity for a stopgap alternative.
06:48Well, no. What you've just said is that the Boeing information was public knowledge, the delivery date, the course, the course of runs.
06:58But this is not, because this is not only a bad deal for the American public, it is just gratifying the president's ego.
