Washington: The top Democrat on the US House Armed Services Committee called for greater scrutiny of the Pentagon, identifying the Iran war, military operations in Latin America and contracts awarded to private companies as priorities for the next Congress.
Representative Adam Smith of Washington Wednesday (local time) outlined an oversight agenda that would require more public testimony from senior Pentagon officials and restore a subcommittee dedicated to oversight and investigations.
His statement set out proposed priorities for committee Democrats in the 120th Congress. It did not announce the opening of specific investigations or a timetable for hearings.
“My Democratic colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee and I are ready to hit the ground running in the 120th Congress and the top priority will be to conduct vigorous oversight of the Department of Defense and the Trump Administration,” Smith said.
He called for greater public transparency and accountability from senior Pentagon officials, saying increased public testimony should be a starting point.
Smith placed the Iran conflict near the top of his proposed agenda, describing it as an “illegal war”. That characterisation was his political and legal assessment; the statement did not provide a legal analysis supporting it.
He also alleged favouritism in government support for private businesses and called for scrutiny of contracts and other financial assistance.
“We must dive into any waste, fraud, and abuse by examining contracts and other financial support awarded to private companies,” he said.
The statement did not identify particular companies, contracts or transactions that would be examined.
Smith’s proposed oversight subjects also included what he described as unauthorised military strikes in the Caribbean and Latin America, military deployments to US cities, and the politicisation of the armed forces.
He accused the administration of removing personnel on grounds of loyalty and ideology. The statement did not name individual cases or present supporting documentation for those allegations.
On spending, Smith called for a national security approach that would not require a defence budget exceeding $1 trillion or deep cuts to domestic programmes.
He said the Pentagon needed to change how resources were spent and accounted for, while ensuring that investments in new weapons reflected lessons from recent conflicts.
“Investment in new weapon systems must take lessons learned from recent conflicts and provide relevant capabilities in a more cost-effective manner,” he said.
Smith also supported continuing bipartisan efforts to reform military procurement. His statement did not propose a specific spending total or identify weapons programmes for reductions.
Another priority, he said, would be supporting service members, civilian employees and their families through benefits and living standards that helped recruit and retain personnel.
He criticised the administration’s treatment of the federal workforce and alleged that political loyalty was being elevated over competence in senior military and civilian appointments.
Smith said he wanted to work with colleagues from both parties to restore the committee’s oversight role. His proposals covered military operations, spending and personnel policy, but did not include draft legislation.
The House Armed Services Committee has legislative and oversight responsibilities covering national defence, military operations and the organisation of the Pentagon. Its remit also includes defence acquisition, industrial base policy, technology transfers and export controls.
