The House field hearing planned for Monday aboard the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower has been closed to media due to concerns from the defense secretary’s office.
A congressional source told the Washington Examiner that the defense secretary objected to having media at the hearing.
The House Armed Services Subcommittees on Readiness and Seapower and Projection Forces had planned the hearing to learn about readiness problems facing the fleet first-hand from naval officers.
Four Navy captains were scheduled to testify about issues from the aviation, surface, submarine and construction battalion fields. Forbes is chairman of the seapower subcommittee.
Instead, the congressional source said that members are still going to visit Norfolk Naval Station and go aboard the Ike on Monday, and then hold a public hearing in D.C. later in the week to discuss their findings.
Virginia State Del. Scott Taylor criticized Forbes, R-Va., for calling the hearing, saying it’s a political stunt that inconveniences the sailors aboard the Eisenhower who are preparing to deploy to the Middle East this month.
Forbes will face Taylor in the GOP primary on June 14.
Note: This story has been updated to say the hearing is closed to media, and not canceled.
