Rep. Mike Levin announced Thursday that he is leading the San Diego congressional delegation in formally demanding answers from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. “Today, I am sending a letter to Secretary Hegseth and Acting Secretary of the Navy Cao demanding answers about what is going on aboard the USS Lincoln and plans to rectify these issues,” Levin wrote on X. “I’m proud to lead the San Diego delegation on this letter, as we represent one of the largest military communities in the entire country.”
Levin’s Core Argument
Levin argued that the Navy’s current plans to relieve the carrier don’t address the underlying accountability question. “The plans in the works to relieve the USS Lincoln are not enough. We need clear and honest information from the Department of Defense about the operational failures that led to the problems aboard the USS Lincoln to ensure this never happens again,” he wrote. “Why weren’t unsanitary conditions immediately addressed? Why didn’t service members receive adequate mental health support? Why did the Navy not communicate these problems early and often to families and the appropriate government officials?”
Who Signed the Letter
The letter, dated August 13, was signed by four members of the San Diego-area delegation: Levin, Sara Jacobs, Scott H. Peters, and Juan Vargas. In it, the lawmakers wrote that the Lincoln had been deployed 265 days as of the letter’s date, “significantly” beyond its initial planned return in May, and stated plainly: “The reports coming from military families and loved ones about the conditions aboard the USS Lincoln are simply unacceptable.”
The Five Specific Questions They’re Demanding Answered
The letter posed five direct questions to Hegseth and Cao: what is causing insufficient replenishment-at-sea delivery times beyond the operational environment; what specific safety steps and reporting channels are available to fatigued crew members; what modifications to chow hours have been made given reports that sailors have missed meals due to operational tempo; what steps the Navy has taken to prevent disease transmission given hygiene and clean-water shortages; and what the Navy is doing to ensure sailors on other vessels won’t face the same conditions once the Lincoln is relieved.
A Separate Complaint About Being Left Out of a Family Briefing
Beyond the substantive questions, the letter raised a specific procedural grievance. The lawmakers wrote that while they appreciated Acting Secretary Cao’s direct meeting with Lincoln family members in San Diego, “we strongly believe the representing Members of Congress of these families should have also been notified of this meeting — or at a minimum, received some form of communication about the Navy’s plans.”
A Parallel Senate Letter Raising Similar Concerns
Levin’s House letter was not the only congressional inquiry sent that week. According to Reuters, Sen. Richard Blumenthal separately wrote to Hegseth and the Navy secretary, stating: “There have been widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns, and disruptions in the mail system, which have caused many care packages in route to the ship to be lost in transit for months.”
Another Lawmaker Has Raised the Same Concern for Months
Levin’s letter is not an isolated congressional complaint. Rep. Joe Courtney, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, said he had been raising similar concerns “since the extended USS Gerald R. Ford deployment” and that “the same concerns continue now with the USS Abraham Lincoln,” adding that he had personally addressed the issue with both the acting Navy secretary and the chief of naval operations. “Our Sailors and Marines stationed on these ships and their accompanying ships deserve better,” Courtney said. “This is just another example of the inept leadership at the Pentagon under this Administration.”
The Reporting the Letter Itself Cited
The lawmakers’ own letter included a footnote citing a specific news report as the basis for their concerns: a Task & Purpose article on conditions aboard the Lincoln, which the delegation referenced directly when describing the reports of moldy showers, broken toilets, lack of hot water, and supply shortages that prompted their letter.
The Underlying Reporting Both Letters Cite
Both congressional letters trace back to reporting from military-focused outlets. According to Reuters, Navy Times and Stars and Stripes had reported suicide attempts and declining morale aboard the 5,000-person ship, which has been at sea since November and in the Middle East since January, supporting the U.S. war with Iran.
A Specific Replacement Carrier Has Been Named
Since Levin’s letter was sent, the Navy has confirmed a specific ship to relieve the Lincoln. According to USNI News’ reporting, the forward-deployed George Washington Carrier Strike Group — the flagship USS George Washington along with the cruiser USS Robert Smalls and destroyer USS Shoup — was confirmed by a Navy official to be transiting the Strait of Malacca after crossing the Singapore Strait, putting it on course for the Indian Ocean. In a statement to USNI News, a Navy official said: “We know that extended deployments place a significant strain on our service members and their families, and we are grateful for the resilience and sacrifices they make in support of our nation’s security.” The Associated Press separately reported that the Wall Street Journal had first reported the George Washington would replace the Lincoln, and that the Navy has acknowledged the war created “a highly contested environment where traditional supply hubs in the Middle East were disrupted by combat actions.”
Hegseth’s Own Response to the Letter’s Underlying Concerns
Hours after Levin’s letter became public, Hegseth addressed the broader controversy directly while traveling in Panama, calling accounts of poor conditions aboard the Lincoln “completely misrepresented.” He did not, however, directly respond to the specific written questions Levin’s delegation had posed, nor did he offer a timeline for the ship’s return — leaving the letter’s core demands formally unanswered even as Hegseth pushed back on the underlying reporting verbally.
Where This Leaves Things
As of the most recent reporting, a replacement carrier has been identified and is en route, but no Navy announcement has specified when the Lincoln will actually depart for home. Formal written responses to both Levin’s and Blumenthal’s letters remained pending, leaving the specific questions about replenishment failures, mental health support, and internal communication breakdowns unanswered on the record.