Senate Democrats press Hegseth on domestic military deployment plan

• Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sparked additional backlash after she said the goal is to "liberate" Los Angeles from its elected Democratic leaders during a press conference where Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed.
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested that the Trump administration would not respect district court orders to disband troops, but that it would abide by a Supreme Court ruling.

What they're saying: "I have been deeply disturbed and alarmed by the use of active-duty troops, Marines in Los Angeles," Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said.

• "And President Trump has made clear his intentions to continue to use the military to suppress dissent and likely inflame tensions there and elsewhere all under the guise of enforcing the law. What he's doing may well be illegal."
• Hegseth pushed back on the claim that the deployments have been illegal, but he did not confirm whether contingency plans were in place for using military in other cities.

Driving the news: "I take it from your answer that you do have contingency plans for the use of military in other cities," Blumenthal said.

• Hegseth did not address Blumenthal's request.

Context: The Trump administration this month sent nearly 5,000 National Guard members and Marines to Los Angeles in response to anti-immigration raid protests.

• On Tuesday, the Pentagon said another 700 military personnel were sent to aid immigration enforcement in Florida, Louisiana and Texas.

State of play: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) also grilled Hegseth on domestic military deployments.

• "Have you actually done the analysis and figured out how many troops you can deploy domestically before you start to undermine readiness around the world?" Warren asked.
• "We are the senate armed services committee and you're here to ask for a trillion dollars," she later added. "What's the number?
• "We've got contingencies and plans for any number of capabilities," Hegseth responded.

Zoom out: Several Senate Democrats criticized Hegseth's leadership during the Wednesday hearing, which was meant to focus on Trump's 2026 budget request.

• "This is a moment that requires leadership, expertise and competence from the Department of Defense," Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said in his opening remarks. "And Mr. Secretary, I am concerned frankly that these qualities have been eroded under your leadership."

Go deeper: Military aiding immigration enforcement in Florida, Louisiana and Texas