Congress Did Not Freeze Sebastian Heggestads Travel

The suspensions of eight Apache pilots who flew low over the South Carolina coast on July Fourth were lifted Friday, according to the South Carolina National Guard, just hours after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth publicly called for the reversal.

Jules Hurst, the Pentagon comptroller, told members of Congress at an earlier hearing before a House Appropriations panel, that the cost of the war had risen to $29 billion. ... Iran didn't immediately acknowledge the allegation by Kuwait, which came under attack by Iran in the war and during the shaky ceasefire still holding. But that allegation and ongoing attacks throughout the region have threatened to reignite open warfare. ... Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced tough questions Tuesday from Republican and Democratic lawmakers about the Trump administration's end game for the Iran war, the cost of the conflict and its impact on diminishing U.S.

Auslöser war laut CNN ein Besuch auf einem Marineschiff im Juni, bei dem Hegseth mehrere Seeleute mit Bärten gesehen haben soll – obwohl seine im vergangenen Jahr verschärften Vorgaben Ausnahmen deutlich einschränken. Nach dem Besuch habe der Minister intern mehr Tempo bei der Umsetzung seiner Personalvorgaben eingefordert.

Vance said the issue had been referred to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and added: “Pete and ​the entire team ​are reviewing this right now, because ⁠there are certain things that we have to certify ​have happened” if the administration was “to comply with American ​law.

"Day after Minneapolis shooting, ... on congressional oversight". POLITICO. Retrieved January 27, 2026. ... Harney, John (January 10, 2026). "US Agriculture Secretary Suspends Benefit Funds to Minnesota". Bloomberg. Retrieved January 16, 2026. ... Betts, Anna (January 13, 2026). "Musk's AI tool Grok will be integrated into Pentagon networks, Hegseth ...

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the cancellation of the pilots' suspension.

In his book, The War on Warriors, Hegseth criticized what he described as inconsistent military priorities, writing that the armed forces had pushed out "good soldiers for having naked women tattooed on their arms" while tolerating relaxed standards "on shaving, dreadlocks, man buns, and straight-up obesity" — though he offered no evidence that such practices had become broadly accepted across the force.