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2026-11-06 11:24:27
[US Democratic Representative Adam Smith Pledges Strong Oversight of Pentagon and Seeks Chairmanship of Armed Services Committee] (1) Washington State Democratic Representative Adam Smith, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, pledged on Wednesday to provide “strong” oversight of the Pentagon, including seeking testimony from senior officials and demanding greater transparency from the Department of Defense. (2) Smith is asking colleagues for their support in his bid to chair the committee; he plans to review the Pentagon’s deployment of National Guard troops to US cities, the department’s spending, and the war with Iran. (3) He said it was important to rebuild the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee to support the committee’s work. (4) Smith also questioned the necessity of the Pentagon’s more than $1 billion budget and vowed to investigate the military’s deadly strikes against suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific. (5) He added that contracts and other financial support awarded to private companies must be carefully reviewed to ensure they are in the best interests of taxpayers, free from conflicts of interest or bias, and granted in accordance with legal authority and procedures. (6) The letter came after Democrats won a landslide victory in Tuesday’s midterm elections, taking a majority in both houses of Congress and winning several governorships. (7) Smith said he was “committed” to finding a way to pass the National Defense Authorization Act, but warned that he would never sacrifice important principles in order to get the bill through.
