Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA02) Defended Trump’s War Over Navy Service Members Who Fight For Our Country

By Michelle Moore, Bridge2Blue 

On May 16, 2026, the USS Gerald R. Ford returned to Norfolk after a grueling 326-day deployment—the longest deployment by a U.S. aircraft-carrier deployment since the Vietnam War. For months, the carrier struggled with the aftermath of a laundry-room fire that destroyed sleeping quarters and left hundreds of personnel without beds. The crew also faced irregular food resupply, severe plumbing problems, and sanitation failures.

U.S. Navy personnel are trained to endure combat and extreme conditions. But forcing them to withstand months of preventable, deteriorating conditions is fundamentally different from facing the inherent hardships of combat. It is a failure to adequately protect the people carrying out the mission.

So what did Representative Jen Kiggans do?

While Kiggans expressed concern over the conditions and supply shortfalls aboard the USS Ford, she responded to early reports in March by saying, “this is not Carnival Cruise, this is the U.S. Navy.” Her subsequent statements and votes undercut those expressions of concern.

In April, she declared that she “couldn’t be a stauncher supporter of the war,”  Kiggans later voted against the bipartisan War Powers Resolution that would have directed the president to end unauthorized hostilities in Iran, and she backed $73 billion in emergency supplemental funding.

Kiggans’ support for the war didn’t waver even after a second naval carrier on an extended deployment, the USS Abraham Lincoln, was also experiencing supply and sanitation problems. In April, family members reported inadequate food and hygiene supplies aboard the Lincoln. In August, reports emerged of shortages of food and clean water, poor sanitation, and declining morale.

Rep. Jen Kiggans, a former Navy officer and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, had multiple opportunities to demand oversight as deployments stretched far beyond normal cycles, placing increased strain on the crew, supply lines, and maintenance schedules. The  Ford had been diverted twice: first in response to Trump’s attack on Venezuela and later for Trump’s war with Iran. Neither received specific congressional authorization.

Kiggans could have used her position to press more forcefully  for military personnel and their families. Instead, she dismissed early warnings, continued to support Trump’s prolonged war, voted against ending unauthorized military action, and backed additional funding for the Iran conflict. Her record shows that she prioritized support for the administration’s military policy over demanding public accountability for the conditions service members endured.

Expressions of concern alone won’t fix the problems. They won’t protect the mission, the service members, or their families. Virginians deserve a representative who will fight for those who defend our country.

It’s time for Kiggans to go.