Hegseth’s Ukraine Gamble Triggers Backlash in His Own Party
Senior Republican senators are raising serious concerns over reports that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth unilaterally paused shipments of military aid to Ukraine without President Trump’s approval.
The Gaze reports on this with reference to The Hill.
Lawmakers say the alleged actions may point to troubling coordination failures between the Pentagon and the White House, and they are calling for a thorough congressional investigation.
According to The Hill, key members of the GOP are troubled by claims that Hegseth independently froze weapons deliveries to Ukraine multiple times without informing congressional leaders or receiving presidential authorization.
“This is a problem,” said one Republican senator, speaking on condition of anonymity. Another lawmaker warned that what initially appeared to be a miscommunication is now seen as a more alarming breach of process.
The issue has sparked growing tension within the party, with some officials demanding full transparency about who in the Department of Defense was involved in these decisions. A senior GOP aide described the situation as “a clear goof-up on a lot of levels.”
If confirmed, such actions, taken without direct approval from the commander-in-chief, could signal a serious breach of protocol.
Some Republican insiders on Capitol Hill have warned that any deliberate circumvention of presidential authority by Hegseth or his senior staff would constitute a major governance failure.
Senator Thom Tillis voiced some of the strongest criticism, calling Hegseth “out of his depth” and describing the halting of aid to Ukraine as “amateurish.”
Meanwhile, Senator Lindsey Graham urged Congress to “get to the bottom” of who ordered the freeze and why. “We’ll get to the bottom of that later,” he said.
Senator Todd Young echoed calls for oversight, stressing the need for hearings to question administration officials and clarify the decision-making process.
“We need to do our oversight here, ask our questions of this administration just as we have in previous administrations,” he claimed. “We need to hold hearings and ask questions and learn what’s going on.”
As The Gaze reported earlier, on July 4, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth halted a shipment of military aid to Ukraine this week, citing concerns over dwindling U.S. stockpiles, despite a Pentagon analysis concluding that the package would not endanger American military readiness.