Democratic Rep. Nancy L'Oreal, a former three-star Navy lieutenant who served in the US military for 35 years, sharply criticized US Secretary of War Pete Hingseth, calling him "the most unrecognizable secretary this nation has ever seen." Speaking on CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday, November 5, Lear accused the Hegseth of "calling down" the US military and putting the country at "risk" by focusing on the wrong priorities. "He needs to focus on strategy and preparedness instead of these things that fall into the trenches," she says, while also revealing that she was never given a reason for her dismissal as head of the Navy in August 2025, adding that there was "a great deal" of reason to prevent any mishaps. She attributed the problem to "corruption and a lack of strategy, which does nothing but really drive up costs for people, and that's what people really care about." She also pointed to the war in Iran and the US attack on Venezuela as an example.

Democratic Rep. Nancy L'Oreal, a former three-star Navy lieutenant who served in the US military for 35 years, sharply criticized US Secretary of War Pete Hingseth, calling him "the most unrecognizable secretary this nation has ever seen." Speaking on CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday, November 5, Lear accused the Hegseth of "calling down" the US military and putting the country at "risk" by focusing on the wrong priorities. "He needs to focus on strategy and preparedness instead of these things that fall into the trenches," she says, while also revealing that she was never given a reason for her dismissal as head of the Navy in August 2025, adding that there was "a great deal" of reason to prevent any mishaps. She attributed the problem to "corruption and a lack of strategy, which does nothing but really drive up costs for people, and that's what people really care about." She also pointed to the war in Iran and the US attack on Venezuela as an example.