Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin accused Rep. Matt Gaetz of being “embarrassed by your country” at a House hearing Tuesday, while the outspoken Florida Republican shot back that Mr. Austin and other Pentagon leaders have compromised U.S. military superiority by embracing socialist policies.
A heated exchange between the two men erupted during Tuesday’s hearing before the House Armed Services Committee, which was meant to be a forum to discuss the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2023 budget request. But the third-term conservative lawmaker used his time to accuse the Defense Department of inviting socialists to speak at military institutions and forcing recruits to learn critical race theory. Mr. Gaetz said the military has spent far too much time on those issues while simultaneously making “blown calls” with respect to the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and other issues around the world.
The accusations from Mr. Gaetz seemed to infuriate the typically calm, reserved Mr. Austin, who became visibly agitated in the face of increasingly intense questioning.
“You guys have been blowing a lot of calls lately on matters of strategy, Mr. Secretary. You guys told us Russia couldn’t lose. You told us the Taliban couldn’t immediately win. So I guess I’m wondering: What in the $787 billion you’re requesting today is going to help you make assessments that are accurate in the face of so many blown calls?”
Mr. Austin initially responded by saying he would let the Pentagon’s budget request “speak for itself,” but he responded forcefully when Mr. Gaetz then charged that Russia and China are outpacing the U.S. in hypersonic weapons development.
“What do you mean we’re behind in hypersonics? How do you make that assessment?” Mr. Austin said.
“I don’t know. I make that assessment because China is fielding hypersonic weapons systems and we are still developing them,” Mr. Gaetz replied. “I make that assessment because Russia actually used one.”
“While everyone else in the world seems to be developing capabilities and being more strategic,” Mr. Gaetz continued, “we’ve got time to embrace critical race theory at West Point, to embrace socialism at the National Defense University, to do mandatory pronoun training” in the military.
Mr. Austin then responded with an explosive accusation of his own.
“Again, this is the most capable, the most combat-credible force in the world. It has been and it will be so going forward,” he said. “And this budget helps us to do that. The fact that you’re embarrassed by your country … I’m sorry for that.”
“I’m embarrassed by your leadership,” Mr. Gaetz responded. “I’m not embarrassed by my country. I wish we were not losing to China. That is so disgraceful that you would sit here and conflate your failures with the failure of the uniformed service members.”
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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