Two senior Republican senators have publicly broken ranks to oppose an extraordinary attempt by the US Defence Secretary to punish a Democratic colleague for a political video.
Bipartisan Pushback Against Pentagon Action
On Monday, Susan Collins of Maine and Thom Tillis of North Carolina voiced strong objections to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's move to formally censure Senator Mark Kelly and initiate proceedings that could see the former Navy captain demoted and his military pension reduced.
The controversy stems from a video released last year by Kelly and other Democrats, which encouraged active-duty military personnel to refuse illegal orders. Hegseth labelled the content a "reckless and seditious video" intended to undermine military discipline and announced a "retirement grade determination proceeding" alongside a formal censure letter.
Moderate Republicans Decry "Chilling Effect" on Speech
Senator Collins, who chairs the powerful Senate appropriations committee overseeing the Pentagon budget, stated plainly that targeting a senator's military benefits over a political video was inappropriate. "I don't think that's appropriate," she told reporters.
Senator Tillis, who is retiring from the Senate, was more forceful, describing the Pentagon's censure as "ridiculous" and warning it sets a dangerous precedent. "My gosh, he is a US senator who operates in a political world. I think it has a chilling effect on speech, and I've got a real problem with it," Tillis said, adding his belief that "Hegseth overreached."
The pushback from these two relatively moderate Republicans was notable given the muted or non-committal responses from most of their party colleagues in the Senate.
Kelly's Defiant Response and Broader Senate Reaction
Senator Mark Kelly, a former combat pilot and NASA astronaut who flew dozens of missions and travelled to space four times, issued a combative statement. He called the censure "outrageous" and "un-American," directly challenging the Defence Secretary.
"If Pete Hegseth, the most unqualified secretary of defense in our country's history, thinks he can intimidate me with a censure or threats to demote me or prosecute me, he still doesn't get it," Kelly wrote. He added, "Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump don't get to decide what Americans in this country get to say about their government."
Other Republican senators offered measured responses. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, a member of the armed services committee, suggested an "adjudication process" should proceed without comment. Some, like Deb Fischer of Nebraska, sidestepped the question, while Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia characterised it as an issue solely between the Defence Department and Senator Kelly.
The episode highlights the unusual and politically charged nature of a sitting cabinet secretary seeking to penalise a serving US senator for political speech, a move now facing direct criticism from within the secretary's own party.
