Congressional ledger

Demand a date certain.

14 members in this brief are already on the public record, including both California senators. Fifteen senators wrote Hegseth on 15 August; twenty-two House members wrote Cao. A letter only counts if it lands in an official inbox — copy it, then open their form.

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Rep. Mike Levin
U.S. House · CA-49
On record
San Diego–area member. Publicly pressed Pentagon leadership on Lincoln conditions.
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Sen. Elissa Slotkin
U.S. Senate · Michigan
On record
With Sen. Peters, demanded answers and leadership from the Secretary of Defense.
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Sen. Gary Peters
U.S. Senate · Michigan
On record
Joint demand with Sen. Slotkin for real leadership on crew conditions.
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Sen. Angus King
U.S. Senate · Maine
On record
Demanded answers on conditions after family reports went public.
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Sen. Richard Blumenthal
U.S. Senate · Connecticut
On record
Wrote Hegseth and the acting Navy Secretary on supplies, water, mental health, flight-deck safety, and lost mail.
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Sen. Alex Padilla
U.S. Senate · California
On record
Homeport-state senator. Joined a California delegation letter to the Pentagon calling for an inquiry (reported 18 Aug).
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Sen. Adam Schiff
U.S. Senate · California
On record
Homeport-state senator. Signed the California delegation inquiry letter with Sen. Padilla.
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Rep. George Whitesides
U.S. House · CA-27
On record
Demanded answers from the administration and an immediate briefing for Congress.
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Sen. Ruben Gallego
U.S. Senate · Arizona
On record
Iraq War veteran. Called for a visit to the ship and said the unplanned war tempo is the deep problem.
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Sen. Mark Kelly
U.S. Senate · Arizona
On record
Navy veteran. Called on DoD to investigate conditions after 200+ consecutive days at sea.
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Rep. Seth Moulton
U.S. House · MA-6
On record
Marine veteran on House Armed Services. Told CNN the committee will investigate.
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Rep. Betty McCollum
U.S. House · MN-4
On record
Ranking member, House Appropriations Defense subcommittee. Publicly sought answers on crew conditions.
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Rep. Pat Ryan
U.S. House · NY-18
On record
Published a 22-member House letter to Acting Navy Secretary Cao (reported 18 Aug).
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Rep. Shri Thanedar
U.S. House · MI-13
On record
Objected publicly to commentary that framed Lincoln sailors as weak for reporting conditions.
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Letter

I am writing as a family member / constituent about the crew of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), homeported in San Diego. The ship left in November 2025, was originally due home in May 2026, and has now been underway more than 250 days in a high-combat zone with 200+ consecutive days at sea.

Open-source reporting (NBC, Stars and Stripes, USNI, The Hill) and family testimony — including ~200 spouses at San Diego town halls — describe:

1. Fresh-food collapse — rations of rice and tortillas; frozen meat; at least one sailor reported to have lost 65 pounds.
2. Empty ship's store — toothpaste, soap, deodorant, and menstrual products gone; hour-long lines.
3. Failed plumbing — toilets and hot showers down for weeks; mold; laundry offline.
4. Water-quality questions that members of Congress have already asked the Pentagon to investigate.
5. Lost mail and care packages for months — the primary emotional lifeline to home. Land APO ZIP codes in the region have also seen USPS suspensions.
6. Mental-health crisis — exhaustion, claustrophobia, and multiple attempts to go overboard.

I have read the official response. Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said meal plans were adjusted with no meals missed, a small number of mental-health cases were treated with no loss of life, extra counselors are being sent, and Lincoln will soon sail home. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the reports were completely misrepresented. Families still do not have a public date certain, a mail-backlog number, or an inventory of stores.

USS George Washington left Da Nang and transited the Singapore and Malacca straits in mid-August. That hull swap is necessary and not sufficient. Until it is complete, this crew needs:

- Immediate underway replenishment of fresh food and hygiene stores, including menstrual products.
- Repair parts and technicians for plumbing, laundry, and evaporators.
- A restored official-mail pipeline, with lost packages traced.
- The additional resiliency counselors the Navy has already promised, plus a public, dated return to San Diego.

Fifteen senators wrote Secretary Hegseth on 15 August. Twenty-two House members, led by Rep. Pat Ryan, wrote Acting Secretary Cao. California Sens. Padilla and Schiff have asked for an inquiry. House Armed Services has said it will investigate.

I ask you to join that record in writing: demand the current days-underway figure; a complete inventory of food, hygiene, and water status; the mental-health caseload; the mail-backlog number; and a date certain for Lincoln's return to San Diego. If you sit on Armed Services or Defense Appropriations, demand a visit.

The crew did the job. The country owes them a working ship and a way home.

Open Levin form

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