Boeing EA-18G Growler on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln<\/p>\n
Senator Ruben Gallego separately called for an official congressional oversight visit to the Lincoln to investigate the reported conditions<\/p>\n
US congressional Democrats have demanded answers and an investigation into reported poor conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, following reports of food and basic-supply shortages, plumbing failures, contaminated water and mental health crises during the aircraft carrier\u2019s record-setting deployment.<\/p>\n
In a letter to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, Senator Richard Blumenthal called on the Navy to provide an account of conditions aboard the carrier, which he said had been deployed for more than 250 days and had remained at sea for over 200 consecutive days, setting a record.<\/p>\n
Blumenthal expressed concern over the prolonged deployment, citing \u201cwidespread reports of shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, plumbing issues, deteriorating mental health, deck safety concerns\u201d and other problems aboard the vessel.<\/p>\n
Senator Ruben Gallego separately called for an official congressional oversight visit to the Lincoln to investigate the reported conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m seeking an official oversight visit with a bipartisan Senate Delegation to the USS Lincoln to investigate the reported alarming conditions,\u201d Gallego said in a post on X on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Gallego, a former active-duty service member, said the reported treatment of sailors aboard the carrier was \u201cnot just disgusting; it\u2019s dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese sailors are owed a sense of when they will go home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Gallego also cited reports of crew members threatening to jump overboard, describing them as \u201ca frightening alarm bell\u201d about the severity of conditions aboard the carrier.<\/p>\n
He listed reports of moldy showers, intermittent hot water, rationed meals and soap, broken toilets and 12- to 16-hour work shifts without days off.<\/p>\n
\u201cCongress must do its duty to provide oversight and hold the administration accountable for these actions,\u201d Gallego added.<\/p>\n
The USS Abraham Lincoln departed San Diego, California, on November 21, 2025, for duty in the South China Sea but was later rerouted to the Middle East ahead of US-Israeli attacks on Iran that began on February 28.<\/p>\n
The aircraft carrier has about 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard.<\/p>\n
According to MS NOW, family members have raised concerns about the difficult conditions faced by their relatives aboard the carrier during two recent meetings with Navy leadership. The families reportedly confronted Navy officials over food shortages and demanded information about when their loved ones would return home.<\/p>\n
Some family members also reported serious mental health problems and suicide attempts involving crew members aboard the ship.<\/p>\n
The concerns have intensified scrutiny of the prolonged deployment and the conditions under which sailors and Marines are serving.<\/p>\n