Senate to Question Pentagon Over Trump’s Controversial Domestic National Guard Deployments

The Senate Armed Services Committee will put senior Pentagon officials under scrutiny this week over President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to U.S. cities — a move that has sparked lawsuits, state objections and debate over the proper role of military forces on American soil.

What’s At Issue

Thursday’s hearing is expected to press Defense Department leaders on the legality and justification for the deployments, some of which proceeded despite objections from city mayors and state governors. Lawmakers will probe whether the activations were consistent with federal law, state authority and long-standing norms governing domestic Guard missions.

Lawmakers Push Back

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), an Iraq War veteran who served in the Illinois National Guard, said she threatened to hold up the annual defense authorization bill if Republican leaders continued to block the hearing. "Donald Trump is illegally deploying our nation’s service members under misleading if not false pretexts," Duckworth told reporters, and she plans to press military leaders on impacts to readiness, training and costs as well as legal protections for Guard members who may be operating alongside federal law enforcement.

FILE - California National Guard and Marines hold back demonstrators at the Federal Building during a protest June 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Recent Legal Developments

A federal judge in San Francisco on Wednesday granted a preliminary injunction ordering the administration to stop using California National Guard troops in Los Angeles and to return control to the state, though the judge temporarily stayed implementation until Monday. The White House said it would appeal. In June, more than 4,000 California Guard members were federalized without Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approval to support immigration enforcement — a move described by state officials as the first such activation in decades without a governor’s request.

Security Concerns

The hearing comes two weeks after two West Virginia National Guard members deployed to Washington were shot just blocks from the White House. Specialist Sarah Beckstrom died the day after the Nov. 26 shooting; Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe remains hospitalized. The incidents have heightened concerns about Guard member safety during high-profile domestic missions.

Broader Picture

Officials say the deployments were intended to support federal law enforcement, protect federal facilities and help combat crime. The number of California troops in Los Angeles fell from more than 4,000 in June to roughly 100 by late October, according to U.S. Northern Command; those remaining were reported to be guarding federal buildings or staying at a nearby base rather than patrolling with immigration officers. Other courts have limited or blocked Guard deployments to Portland and Chicago; Guard members have not yet been sent to New Orleans.

Why It Matters: The hearing will test the balance between federal authority and state control over National Guard forces, examine legal and operational risks, and may shape how the military is used in future domestic operations.