A U.S. sailor directs aircraft on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln during the ongoing conflict with Iran July 31, 2026. U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.
President Donald Trump dismissed concerns about the USS Abraham Lincoln's extended deployment.
Trump told reporters Friday that sailors hadn't been deployed "nearly long enough."
The carrier's 5,000 sailors and Marines are nine months into a deployment that was supposed to end in May, with no return date announced.
Doctors aboard the ship warned crew members are "losing their minds," as multiple sailors have attempted to jump overboard.
Families report moldy showers, broken toilets, weeks without laundry, and inadequate meals such as two tortillas and half a cup of rice.
One sailor's wife said her husband, on medical hold after an overboard attempt, fears a dishonorable discharge will end his 13-year Navy career.
The Lincoln has spent over 260 days at sea without port calls, setting a U.S, carrier record, according to The Guardian.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed reports were "completely misrepresented," ABC News reported.
Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) condemned Hegseth's dismissal of families' accounts.
"These men and women signed up to serve their country. The least their country owes them is hot water, a working toilet and a real meal. Hegseth cannot even manage that, and he has the nerve to look their families in the eye and call them liars," Levin said, The Guardian reported.
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