Democratic lawmakers are demanding answers about what they call a crisis on board the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
They come on day 166 of the war with Iran that the Trump administration said would only last for weeks. 5,000 souls are aboard the carrier. Their families say they're now dealing with food shortages, contaminated water and mental health struggles. There are reports several of the crew have tried to jump overboard.
The Navy has yet to issue a formal response, saying only that it has not seen an increase in suicidal behavior on the ship.
The ship was reportedly scheduled to return to San Diego in May, but stayed on deployment as the war with Iran stretched on.
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A group of Democratic lawmakers have been pushing for additional information. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a letter Wednesday pushing for more information from Secretary Hegseth and the acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao.
In the letter, he asks the military to "please list significant habitability, supply, and quality-of-life problems identified aboard the Lincoln, including shortages of hygiene products, mold, broken toilets or laundry facilities, inadequate water supplies or other deteriorating living conditions, when these problems were first identified and the corrective actions that have been taken."
Blumenthal wants a response to the letter by August 27th.
In a recent social media post, Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) said the deployment may affect military readiness.
"The Sailors and Marines on board the USS Lincoln are going through hell because they've been at sea for months. I'm concerned about their mental health and readiness. This is a personnel issue and a national security risk. We must end the Iran war now."
In the meantime, reports Thursday indicate the Navy is moving the USS George Washington into position to relieve the Lincoln.
On Friday, acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao released a statement on the Lincoln's mission:
"The USS Abraham Lincoln crushed their deployment and will return home soon as part of a planned rotation. Details will come but let me be clear: the safety and security of our Sailors and Marines always comes first," it read.
"The Lincoln was extended because the mission demanded it. Deployments are hard. Combat operations make them harder. War is hell and normal routines are disrupted. One of the hardest aspects about warfighting beyond knowingly placing our service members in harm’s way is that even with the best planning and communication, change and uncertainty will always be in play. Our success depends on how we adapt."
