ICYMI: Representative Derek Tran Presses Secretary Pete Hegseth on Firing of Top General Amid Iran War

Washington, DC - In case you missed it, U.S. Representative Derek Tran (CA-45) questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as he testified before the House Armed Services Committee. Representative Tran demanded answers about Secretary Hegseth's decision to fire Army Chief of Staff General Randy George amid the ongoing war with Iran, and raised concerns about the influence of racism on personnel changes in the Department of Defense.

Watch Representative Tran's full question line HERE.

An excerpt of Representative Tran's remarks is as follows:

Representative Tran: You know, after I was honorably discharged from the Army Reserve, the G.I. Bill helped me go to school and ultimately become a lawyer. My focus was representing clients who were wrongfully terminated or faced discrimination and harassment at work. Mr. Secretary, if I were in the courtroom trying to prove that you discriminated against our military heroes, I wouldn't have to look very far or very hard. In just 16 months, you have fired more than a dozen senior military leaders. You've delayed or canceled the promotion of even more. Your Chief of Staff told the Secretary of the Army that President Trump would not want to stand-

Secretary Hegseth: That's not true. Totally false reporting.

Representative Tran: I'm not getting to the question yet, Mr. Secretary. You told the Secretary of the Army that the President would not want to stand next to a black female officer at military events. But, you know, despite all of this, I remain very hopeful that you can and will do better for the men and women who have dedicated their lives to protect our great country. Secretary Hegseth, you would agree with me when I say that we want the most qualified people in every position of our military. Correct? That's a question.

Secretary Hegseth: Yes.

Representative Tran serves on the powerful House Armed Services Committee, overseeing the Department of Defense. During an Armed Services Committee hearing in June 2025, Tran demanded accountability from Secretary Hegseth regarding his decision to deploy over 700 active-duty Marines and 4,000 National Guardsmen to Los Angeles to quell demonstrations without coordinating with state and local law enforcement.

An Army Veteran, Representative Tran is dedicated to expanding protections and benefits for Veterans and service members in Washington. The first bill Tran introduced in Congress was H.R. 1637, the Protect Veteran Jobs Act, to restore the livelihoods of Veterans wrongfully fired from their civil service positions. He recently joined Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) and Maggie Goodlander (NH-01) in introducing the WARRIOR Act to protect women's ability to serve all roles across the military, including in combat. In September 2025, Tran's bipartisan Delivering Digitally for our Veterans Act, which aims to streamline the administration of Veterans' educational benefits through the G.I. Bill, unanimously passed the House. Following offensive U.S. military actions against Iran conducted without Congressional oversight in February 2026, Tran has voted in favor of two Congressional war powers resolutions reaffirming that Congress, not the executive branch, reserves the right to declare war.

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Congressman Derek Tran represents California's 45th Congressional District. Serving his first term in Congress, Congressman Tran is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and House Small Business Committee, where he is Ranking Member of the Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations Subcommittee. Congressman Tran is the son of Vietnamese refugees, a Veteran, and fought for consumers as an attorney before entering Congress.