US senators have asked Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth for information about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and demanded that a bipartisan congressional delegation be allowed to visit the ship, following reports of deteriorating mental health and sailors attempting to go overboard.
The aircraft carrier is carrying more than 5,000 sailors and Marines and has remained at sea for nearly seven months, according to Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal. The deployment, initially expected to end in May, has been repeatedly extended amid the US-Israel war with Iran.
What lawmakers are asking the Pentagon
In a letter to Hegseth, Blumenthal asked for a clear end date for the mission, information about how the Navy measures mental-health conditions on board and an explanation of how the deployment fits into broader operational goals. He also cited reported shortages of basic supplies, water contamination, increased safety incidents and disruptions to mail services.
Senator Ruben Gallego called for a bipartisan congressional delegation to conduct an oversight visit to the USS Lincoln, saying similar delegations have inspected troops in war zones. Senator Mark Kelly, a former naval officer and astronaut, described reports of sailors attempting to jump into the sea as disturbing and shared military mental-health resources.
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Accounts of attempted suicides and a sailor rescued
Reports from two military-focused publications cited family members who described declining morale, severe burnout and suicidal thoughts involving sailors on the carrier. Annabelle Loma, the wife of one sailor, said he had attempted to jump overboard. Maria Rodriguez said her husband told her he had intervened when another shipmate was preparing to go overboard.
A separate report said a sailor went overboard last month and was quickly rescued. A US official cited in that report said the circumstances were unclear. The reported cases and family accounts have not been presented in the supplied material as a final Navy investigation.
Navy response and deployment timeline
Hegseth said reports of poor conditions were “completely misrepresented”. He said the department provides ships, crews and captains with available support and expressed respect for sailors serving in austere conditions with fewer port calls.
More context: Trump’s Iran reparations demand adds strain to stalled talks.
The USS Lincoln last departed San Diego in November 2025, according to the supplied material. Its nearly seven-month period at sea without a port stop was described by Blumenthal as longer than any previous deployment of a US aircraft carrier. The Navy said its leadership was continuously assessing and supporting the psychological readiness of sailors.
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