Blue-haired Democrat snaps during showdown with Pete Hegseth... just days after her furious tirade at RFK Jr

In a dramatic moment on Capitol Hill Democratic congresswoman Rosa DeLauro abruptly cut off Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, raising her voice as he outlined his department's ambitious plans to ramp up submarine production.
On Tuesday, Hegseth testified before the House Appropriations Committee in Washington DC, where lawmakers pressed him about the defense department's 2026 budget. The administration's $1 trillion plan includes major investments to boost Navy submarine construction in Connecticut.
Among the committee members was blue-haired, Connecticut Rep Rosa DeLauro, who became visibly agitated as she demanded Hegseth clarify his plans.
'Well first of all I want to thank this committee for the flexibility alongside fiscal year 2025 and the continuing resolution,' Hegseth began, seconds before the hearing took a chaotic turn.
Without letting him to finish his sentence DeLauro swiftly interrupted, snapping: 'Well I would hope that you would thank this committee for the funding that it had made'.
'We have made a serious investment, so your first statement is inaccurate,' she added.
'We have focused squarely on submarines and now we want to know where that is going and what your plan is for the continued investments to reach production levels and make sure that that is an area that is covered for our national security.'
When DeLauro accused Hegseth of lacking details in his plan, he quickly fired back, acknowledging that the investment was indeed earmarked for shipbuilding and submarine production.
When DeLauro accused Hegseth of lacking details in his plan he quickly fired back, acknowledging that the investment was indeed earmarked for shipbuilding
The 45-year-old Defense Secretary claimed that former President Joe Biden had recklessly wasted much of the previous funding.
At the mere mention of Biden, DeLauro cut in once again, snapping at Hegseth, 'Please - I want your plan!'
'I've had difficulty with the prior administration and I don't mind calling them out,' she shouted. 'What is your plan for the future?'
'Can we get that in writing and on paper so that we know where you're going? Because we don't have anything today! We have zip, nada, in knowing where you're going,' she continued, angrily raising her voice with each word.
'You can talk percentages. You can talk about whatever you want. But unless this committee sees dollars and cents and where you're going and what your plan is, then we can reconsider what you're planning to do to go forward. Give us the details!'
Yet the irate congresswoman abruptly cut off the exchange, denying Hegseth any chance to respond.
The fiery exchange unfolded just weeks after DeLauro found herself locked in another explosive match - this time with RFK Jr.
Last month, the US Secretary of Health faced tough questions from both Republicans and Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee about his specific department's 2026 budget.
During the hearing, DeLauro accused RFK Jr of breaking the law by cutting funding already approved by Congress - specifically targeting money allocated to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as reported by WSHU.
When DeLauro pressed him on whether he would commit to spending the funds allocated in the 2024 budget, RFK Jr replied, 'As I said, Ranking Member, if you appropriate the money, I'm going to spend that money.'
'The money has been appropriated,' DeLauro snapped. 'If you're not willing to accept the funds that have been lawfully voted by members of the House and Senate, on the money for the National Institutes of Health.'
'Well, I'm going to hold you to your word that that funding is there; it should be transferred from 2024 to 2025,' she continued, speaking with her hands and aggressively pointing her finger in his direction.
'You've cut, already, $20 billion. Let's get that money back. You have an obligation to carry out the law and to implement what Congress has done.'
Before moving on to the next topic of discussion, DeLauro angrily shuffled her papers around while repeating, 'Unbelievable. Unbelievable'.
The discussion then moved to the department's plans to improve the healthiness of school lunches for children.
Kennedy began calmly describing updated federal nutrition guidelines that will tell people to 'eat whole food', before getting visibly animated.
'I've been touring these Head Start facilities, and everything they eat is in a package. It's loaded with sugar and with chemicals,' he told Rep John Moolenaar of Michigan.
'We're poisoning this generation… the poorest kids in our country, and we're starting them out with this count against them.'
Head Start, a federal early education program for low-income families with kids under 5, faces elimination under Trump's latest budget proposal, which would cut school funding for over 500,000 pregnant women, babies, and children.
'If anybody thinks that we did gold standard medicine in this country from these institutions, look at our children! They're the sickest children in the world,' Kennedy exclaimed.
Kennedy then turned to DeLauro, who has authored legislation, written to Congress, worked with advocacy groups and pressured the industry to remove dyes and additives from food for decades.
'Congresswoman DeLauro, you say you've worked for 20 years on getting food dye out,' RFK said. 'Give me credit! I got it out in 100 days.'
In April, RFK and fellow federal health officials announced they had come to 'an understanding' with food manufacturers on a proposal to phase out the use of Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3 by the end of 2026, and begin using natural alternatives. Foods still contain dyes and additives.
'Let's work together and do something that we all believe in, which is to have healthy kids in our country for God's sake,' RFK said.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Sky News

36 minutes ago

• Sky News

Mahmoud Khalil: US student detained by immigration officials over pro-Palestinian protests released

Why you can trust Sky News Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has been released after 104 days in immigration detention in the US. A judge ruled the Columbia University graduate student should be released on Friday. He has become a symbol of Donald Trump's crackdown on protests on university campuses after being arrested by the US immigration agency ICE on 8 March. "Whether you are a US citizen, an immigrant or just a person on this land doesn't mean that you are less of a human," he said after being released from detention in Louisiana. Mr Khalil is a legal US resident and isn't accused of breaking any laws during pro-Palestine protests, where he served as a spokesperson for student activists. He is expected to head to New York to reunite with his wife, who is a US citizen, and his baby son, who was born while Mr Khalil was in detention. 0:49 "Justice prevailed, but it's very long overdue," he said. "This shouldn't have taken three months." The Trump administration is seeking to deport Khalil over his role in the protests. However, Judge Michael Farbiarz said it would be "highly, highly unusual" for the government to continue detaining a legal resident who was unlikely to flee and hadn't been accused of any violence. During an hour-long hearing conducted by phone, the New Jersey-based judge said the government had "clearly not met" the standards for detention. 0:47 The government is appealing Mr Khalil's release, and an immigration judge, Judge Jamee Comans, has ordered the student to be "removed". "An immigration judge, not a district judge, has the authority to decide if Mr Khalil should be released or detained," wrote the Department of Homeland Security in a post on X. The US secretary of state Marco Rubio is pushing for Mr Khalil to be expelled from America because he says his continued presence could harm foreign policy. The Trump administration argues that noncitizens who take part in pro-Palestinian protests should be deported, as it considers the protests to be antisemitic. 0:54 Civil rights groups, such as the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which is suing the administration, argue this conflates antisemitism with criticism of Israel in order to silence dissent. Judge Farbiarz ruled the government can't deport Mr Khalil on the basis that his presence could undermine foreign policy, but it can continue deportation over allegations that he lied on his green card application. Mr Khalil disputes these allegations. He had to surrender his passport but will get his green card back and be given official documents permitting limited travel within the country, including New York and Michigan to visit family, New Jersey and Louisiana for court appearances and Washington to lobby Congress. Judge Farbiarz's decision comes after several other students targeted for their activism have been released from custody, including another former Palestinian student at Columbia, Mohsen Mahdawi; a Tufts University student, Rumeysa Ozturk; and a Georgetown University scholar, Badar Khan Suri.

The Independent

38 minutes ago

• The Independent

Billy Porter says Trump would be in jail if he was a black man

Broadway and Pose star Billy Porter has said that if Donald Trump was a black man he would have been in jail by now. Speaking to Matt Chorley for BBC Newsnight, Porter discussed the re-election of Donald Trump and the challenges faced by Democrats and activism in the United States. Porter said, 'We need to be focused on the fact he's not in jail… If he was a black man, he would be in jail.' He also speculated that the re-election of President Trump was a "backlash" to the election of President Obama because 'America is a racist country."

BBC News

an hour ago

• BBC News

Birmingham artist secures colour palette commission in New York

A Birmingham artist who turned his love of colour and typography into a business during the Covid lockdown is celebrating his first overseas Barnfield created The Colour Palette Company and his work can be found across the UK - with towns and cities showcasing colours that are readily associated with local he has produced a colour palette for the Corning Museum of Glass in New York worked with Birmingham Museums Trust, the Museum of Liverpool and York Museums, this latest work reflects the history and artistry of glass. "I knew our colour palettes were proving popular, and we have had interest from overseas – then out of nowhere the museum reached out after seeing our work on social media," said Mr Barnfield. "It's a huge honour to collaborate with such a prestigious institution and to bring our colour storytelling to an international institution for the first time."He added: "It has been quite a journey and one that I'm really enjoying. The Corning Museum of Glass feels like a milestone moment, especially seeing it's one of the largest museum gift shops in the United States." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.