Senate Democrats press Navy on USS Abraham Lincoln conditions

Senate Democrats are demanding answers from Pentagon leaders about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln after reports of food shortages, plumbing problems and mental health crises during the aircraft carrier’s record-setting stretch at sea.

In a letter Wednesday to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut called on the Navy to account for conditions aboard the carrier, which he said “has been deployed more than 250 days” and has not come ashore “in over 200 days, setting a record for consecutive days at sea.”

Blumenthal cited “widespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns” and disruptions in mail delivery. In the letter, he said those mail problems had caused many care packages bound for the ship to be lost in transit for months.

The USS Abraham Lincoln has about 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard. The Guardian reported the carrier was redirected to the Middle East to assist with the military operation in Iran.

Hegseth rejected accounts of deteriorating conditions, telling reporters in Panama that concerns about the ship had been “completely misrepresented.”

“We make sure every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment,” Hegseth said while attending a military demonstration. “Some deployments are longer than others, and I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than anybody. What they do in those high seas in those austere conditions with less port calls – it’s incredible.”

A Navy official told CBS News that the Lincoln is operating in “a highly contested environment” where combat actions disrupted traditional supply hubs in the Middle East. The official said ship leaders prioritized mission-critical supplies, “first food, then hygiene items, then mail,” and said current reports from the ship confirm “continuous access to clean water, functional AC, and healthy meal options.”

Questions about mental health aboard the carrier have intensified. Navy Times and Stars and Stripes have reported multiple attempts by sailors to jump overboard, according to The Guardian. CBS News reported that two U.S. officials confirmed a sailor from the Lincoln went overboard last month and was safely recovered. The circumstances of how and why the sailor went overboard remain under investigation. CNN first reported that incident, CBS said.

Some family members have also raised concerns. CBS News, citing MSNOW, reported that relatives clashed with Navy leadership in two recent meetings over difficult conditions, including food shortages, and demanded to know when their loved ones would return home. Some families reported severe mental health issues and attempted suicides on board.

The Navy official told CBS News that the command has not identified “an increase in reported suicidal ideation or suicide attempts aboard the ship” based on available information. The official said the Lincoln is providing support through deployment-resilience counselors, chaplains, Fleet and Family Support Center services, Military OneSource and medical professionals.

Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona called for congressional oversight after the reports. In a social media post Wednesday, Gallego said the Navy “must allow a bipartisan Congressional Delegation to visit the USS Lincoln to conduct (an) oversight investigation into this horrible situation.”

The Wall Street Journal reported, according to The Guardian, that the USS George Washington will be sent to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln as part of a previously scheduled rotation plan, citing unnamed officials familiar with the matter.