WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) joined a bipartisan Congressional embark led by Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao to visit the sailors of the USS Lincoln as they traveled home from the Middle East to the ship’s San Diego base.   

Sailors on this deployment spent a record-breaking 321 days at sea, and 200 of those days without a single stop at a port of call. The original deployment was supposed to be to be for six months, with port calls roughly once a month. Rep. Houlahan, the lead Democrat on the House Military Personnel Subcommittee, sought answers about conditions on the USS Lincoln following reports of a grueling tempo of operations, inadequate food and showers, and far more suicide attempts than experienced in similar deployments.  

“First and foremost, we have remarkable, talented, and resilient men and women in service of this country,” said Rep. Houlahan. “I had the opportunity to meet with support services, officers, and enlisted service members – including some who are my constituents from PA-06. I learned what went right and what went wrong. For the sake of our troops’ safety and security, many of the lessons, personnel details, and adjustments to be made cannot be shared publicly.” 

“I will say this: no servicemember should ever feel like they have been denied decent treatment. Ever. And not one family member back home should have to worry that their loved one is not being treated well,” Rep. Houlahan continued. “But the real problem here goes beyond the USS Lincoln and beyond the stressors our troops face in times of war. The problem is the war itself.”  

“President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have waged war with Iran for over seven months, despite neither the American public nor Congress approving it. If we ask our servicemembers to endure conditions like those on the USS Lincoln, we must be absolutely sure that their sacrifices are necessary and justified,” Rep. Houlahan concluded. “This Administration’s failure to prove that is an insult to the sailors I met this weekend, and to all of our brave men and women in uniform.” 

Read Rep. Houlahan’s full reflection on her USS Lincoln visit here. 

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