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With Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the stand to face a grilling on the Iran war, Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she would be “remiss” if she did not note how his department has been sidelining women and people of color in its top ranks.
Collins cited reporting by the New York Times about the disproportionate number of women and people of color who have been denied promotions or removed from their positions in Hegseth’s Defense Department. Their number include Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to lead the U.S. Navy, whom Hegseth fired in early 2025.
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“I find this deeply troubling,” Collins said as part of her opening statement at Tuesday’s hearing.
“These are men and women who volunteered to serve our country and swore and oath to support and defend our Constitution,” she went on. “Over the course of their careers, they have earned the support and the trust of their commanders and subordinates, led our men and women in uniform, and were selected through rigorous command and promotion boards. They have served under presidents and defense secretaries from both parties. Reports that women and people of color are disproportionately fired or sidelined create the impression that their service is not valued. This is likely to discourage well-qualified women and individuals of color from joining our armed forces, thus depriving us of their talent, dedication and patriotism.”
