Senate Democrats want answers on reported suicide attempts on warship

Aug. 13 (UPI) — Senate Democrats are pressing the Trump administration about the conditions aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln following reports of attempted suicides by sailors.

In a letter dated Wednesday to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, Senate Armed Services Committee member Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, raised “serious concerns” about the length of the warship’s deployment and reports of supply shortages, contaminated water, and the deteriorating mental health of the crew.

Families of sailors serving on the ship have said several crew members have tried to jump overboard or have been stopped in recent months.

The Abraham Lincoln has been at sea since November.

Blumenthal said falling morale could be a wider issue among ships during monthslong deployments supporting military operations in the Middle East and Venezuela.

“The Lincoln is not an isolated case. Recent carrier deployments have repeatedly stretched beyond their original anticipated durations, suggesting that extended deployments may be becoming a feature rather than an exception of the Navy’s force-generation model,” Blumenthal wrote in the letter.

He pointed to the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford, which returned to the US after 326 days after supporting operations in Venezuela before participating in the conflict with Iran.

Blumenthal asked if the conflict with Iran is pushing deployments far longer than what the Navy had planned.

Hegseth on Thursday claimed that conditions on the Abraham Lincoln have been “completely misrepresented.” In an interview with Newsmax, Hegseth did not address the reported conditions on the ship directly. He also did not say when the ship will be returning to the U.S.

“Listen, we make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment,” Hegseth said. “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 and those austere conditions with less port calls, it’s incredible.”

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., on Thursday called for an official bipartisan visit to the Abraham Lincoln.

“I’m pushing for an official, bipartisan oversight visit to the USS Lincoln. It’s clear Donald Trump, who avoided active duty himself, couldn’t care less about the health and safety [of] our service members. Congress needs to do its job and hold this administration accountable,” Gallego posted on X.