WATCH: Rep. Norcross asks Hegseth why he ended Defense Department collective bargaining agreements

Rep. Donald Norcross, D-N.J., asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to explain why he terminated collective bargaining agreements across the department earlier this month in a Wednesday budget hearing.

“There was nothing to indicate there were any issues with any of the bargaining agreements, yet you decided to take away from them,” the lawmaker said.

Hegseth said the “right" workers, whether they’re contractors or DOD civilians, are going to stay.

“But with our ear to the ground in those shipyards and other factory floors, there were issues with collective bargaining which led to restrictions to the workforce and our ability to move faster,” he added.

Norcross pushed back, saying Hegseth “took away from Department of Defense employers where there hasn't been any issues.”

Hegseth said there were “plenty of cases” where collective bargaining led to agreements that affected the employee’s efficiency.

“That's what we were focusing on and that's why we made the change, which we very much stand behind,” he said.

Hegseth and other Pentagon officials were invited to testify before the House Armed Services Committee on President Donald Trump’s 2027 budget request to  increase defense spending to $1.5 trillion – the largest proposed amount in decades.

The House hearing gave lawmakers a chance to question the defense leaders for the first time since the start of the war on Iran, which the U.S. and Israel launched at the end of February. While Hegseth has touted the Iran war as “a gift to the world,” polls have found that a majority of Americans disapprove of the conflict and the Trump administration’s handling of it.

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