Slotkin seeks commitment to keep military out of midterms

Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to publicly confirm that the Department of Defense will not deploy federal troops to polling places or seize election materials for November’s midterms, amid concerns that President Trump could leverage the military to influence the vote. The Pentagon said it will respond through normal congressional channels, and no immediate comment was provided by the Joint Chiefs. Slotkin cited past discussions and actions by President Trump, including talks about seizing voting machines after the 2020 election and deployments of the National Guard and active-duty Marines in 2025, arguing that such moves would undermine the integrity of the election. She also introduced the Protect Our Polls Act to require a Congressional joint resolution before any troops could be deployed to polling locations. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has denied that President Trump would use the military to suppress voting, labeling such claims false. Federal law already limits military involvement in elections, with safeguards intended to prevent any armed federal forces from being deployed at election sites except under stringent circumstances.