JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Let's turn now to Democratic Congressman Seth Moulton of Massachusetts. He is one of the lawmakers that are demanding answers to the reported conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. He is also a member of the House Armed Services Committee. He served as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, and he's also currently running for Senate. Congressman, welcome.
SETH MOULTON: It's good to be here, Juana.
SUMMERS: I want to start this conversation just by noting that at this point, NPR has not independently verified the reporting conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. But I just want to start by asking you, when you heard these reports of sailors reportedly attempting to go overboard, what was your reaction? What did you think?
MOULTON: My thinking is that this is horrific that these brave young Americans signed up to serve our country, not be pawns for Pete Hegseth in a disastrous war that he can't figure a way out of.
SUMMERS: These reports by several media organizations of sailors jumping overboard, attempting to end their lives, have you heard that directly? Are you able to confirm that?
MOULTON: I'm not able to confirm it, but from my experience, reports like that wouldn't be getting out if they weren't true.
SUMMERS: Now, I'll note that the Navy has responded to this reporting. They wrote in a statement obtained by CNN, and I'm quoting it here, "We have not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship." They go on to say, quote, "We take every service member's wellbeing seriously," end quote. How do you respond to that?
MOULTON: They clearly don't. I mean, this is the second or third report of the administration ignoring the welfare of our troops, the first coming out of Kuwait when numerous troops were killed because they didn't - were not given adequate protection for Iranian drone attacks. And so this is a continued pattern with this administration, and it lays bare the fact - yet again - that they clearly had no plan going into this war with Iran and have absolutely no clue how to get out of it.
SUMMERS: Have you heard anything from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, other members of the military's leadership about this issue?
MOULTON: No, Pete Hegseth seems to be more focused on his testosterone levels than taking care of our troops. I mean, it's just disgusting how backwards his priorities are as secretary of defense. And what I do hear from the troops, and I hear this from active-duty troops, is that they just have no respect for the secretary of defense, and that's not good for the United States of America. That's not a partisan problem. That's a problem for our national security.
SUMMERS: Have you heard directly from any family members or loved ones of the crew on the ship? Have they shared their concerns with you?
MOULTON: I have heard from family members of troops on other ships in the Gulf right now, not the Abraham Lincoln specifically, and they're very concerned. They're not just concerned for the welfare of their troops aboard ship. They're concerned for this war, that they are risking their lives for a mistake. And that's one of the hardest things here. You know, Americans can do extraordinary things when they believe in the mission, but it's so obvious that nobody here believes in the mission. I don't believe in the mission. How can our troops floating around the Gulf believe in this mission when it's been an abject failure, when it's actually done more to empower Iran than curtail their nuclear weapons program or anything else? That's one of the things that's got to come through here is that the troops clearly don't believe in the mission. How could they? And that's why we got to end this war.
SUMMERS: So, Congressman, I'm hearing you describe a lack of confidence among some of our troops in Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and the rationale for this war. And I just wonder, what does that kind of crisis of confidence mean for the operational capabilities of the military, people's ability to, frankly, just do their jobs?
MOULTON: Look, our troops are amazing, and they do their jobs under the most difficult circumstances. But I'll tell you, as a platoon commander on the ground in Iraq, the most difficult question I've ever received in my life was, sir, why are we risking our lives for this? That's a really hard question to answer, and it betrays the fact that it's just really hard to risk your life for something that you don't believe in. And I think it's just common sense that that must be the feeling a lot of troops have right now with the Iran war.
SUMMERS: A question specifically about the US Abraham Lincoln (ph) - I understand from reporting that it's been deployed for more than 250 days. It hasn't made a port call in more than 200 days. Is that typical?
MOULTON: It's not typical at all. And here's the fact that that betrays - we don't have any safe ports. This administration has done so much to alienate our allies, and they've actually made the Gulf so much less safe since they started this war with Iran, made it more vulnerable to Iranian attacks that they can't even pull this ship into a port.
SUMMERS: Have you spoken to any of your Republican colleagues about this issue specifically and the issues with mental health and morale and safety of service members on the USS Abraham Lincoln and other ships?
MOULTON: I've spoken a lot with my Republican colleagues about mental health issues because I was the co-author of 988, the national mental health hotline. And we worked hard to make sure this was available to our troops, even when they're stationed around the globe. But the bottom line is that this administration does not take the mental health of our troops seriously at all. Donald Trump himself has made fun of troops for having brain injuries as a result of disasters that he has caused. And so we need to do a lot more. It's time for Congress to step up, and we need more Republicans to do the right thing alongside Democrats.
SUMMERS: So what should Congress do next? Give me one or two specific things that you would like to see your fellow lawmakers do?
MOULTON: Speak out as I am speaking out. Number 2, commit that the armed services committees in both the House and the Senate will conduct investigations into this very specific issue and restore funding for mental health care. The Trump administration has been trying to cut funds for 988, the law I put in place to ensure that anyone in America can get help in a mental health crisis. Those funds need to be restored. And when this is happening to our troops, we need to make sure they have all the resources they need to keep themselves alive.
SUMMERS: We've been speaking with Representative Seth Moulton. He's a Democrat from Massachusetts who is currently running for the United States Senate. He serves on the House Armed Services Committee and also served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Thank you.
MOULTON: Juana, thank you.
SUMMERS: And NPR reached out to the Pentagon for comment. In response, a spokesperson pointed us to a video of remarks Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made earlier today. Hegseth said in part, quote, "We make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment." He went on to say, quote, "We are so grateful for their dedication. They've held the line for the country and have done a fantastic job," unquote. And if you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
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