Des Moines, Iowa (RI) — U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth joined Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn on the Iowa State Fairgrounds Monday afternoon to honor Iowa veterans and make the case for a 40% increase in military spending.
Hegseth was originally scheduled to headline the annual “Operation Top Gun” fundraiser for Iowa’s third-district congressman in March, but the event was rescheduled for Monday during the State Fair. Hegseth told the crowd Nunn is a combat veteran who understands the need to invest in the military.
Hegseth says his challenge right now is ensuring the Pentagon is properly funded.
Nunn honored veterans support organizations and read aloud the names of the Iowa soldiers killed in combat in Kuwait in March. The families of the two Iowa National Guard soldiers killed by an ISIS gunman in Syria in December came on stage, and Nunn presented each family with the Iowa Medal of Merit, a decoration honoring Iowa National Guard soldiers.
Near the end of Hegseth’s remarks, he asked Gold Star families in the audience to raise their hands, then led the crowd in applause.
Nunn told the crowd he is working to increase troop pay and bring a fighter-jet mission back to the Iowa National Guard Air Base, which currently serves as a command center for unmanned aerial vehicles. Nunn is seeking a third term in the U.S. House this November.
Democrat Sarah Trone Garriott, who is running against Nunn, said leaders should be focused on ending the war with Iran and calls it disgraceful for Nunn and Hegseth to campaign together in Iowa while service members are under threat and facing poor conditions overseas.
