Senate Democrats Demand Answers on USS Lincoln After Suicide Reports

Senate Democrats are pressing the Pentagon for details about conditions aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, following reports that several crew members have attempted suicide. In a letter dated Wednesday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, a member of the Armed Services Committee, told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao that he has "serious concerns" about the length of the deployment, supply shortages, contaminated water, and the crew's deteriorating mental health.

The Abraham Lincoln has been at sea since November. Families of sailors have said in recent months that multiple crew members tried to jump overboard or were stopped before they could.

Blumenthal argued that the problem is not limited to one ship. "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," he wrote. He pointed to the USS Gerald Ford, which returned after 326 days supporting operations in Venezuela and the conflict with Iran. Blumenthal asked whether that conflict is pushing deployments far beyond what the Navy planned.