Rep. Derek Tran was picked to co-lead congressional Democrats’ National Security Task Force, a personal assignment for the Army veteran.
Tran said he plans to use his new leadership position on the task force — which is meant to “engage experts and convince members to reassert America’s role as the leader of the free world,” according to a news release — to counter the Trump administration and Republicans on national security issues.
A freshman Democrat who represents California’s 45th Congressional District in Orange and Los Angeles counties, Tran was picked to lead the task force alongside Democratic Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey.
“I joined the Army Reserves when I was 18 to give back to the country that had given me so much,” said Tran, D-Orange. “I bring that devotion to service with me to Congress.”
The task force was recently relaunched by House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-San Bernardino.
Tran pointed to Russia’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine and the Chinese Communist Party’s “growing military presence and pressure,” particularly as it relates to Taiwan, as two of the most pressing issues affecting America’s national security.
He said he’s also concerned by cuts to various national security departments during the second Trump administration.
Particularly led by what the administration has dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency, the Trump White House has made cutting what it views as excessive government spending a priority — and that includes jobs in the federal workforce, even in the defense space. Tran said he is concerned that this has resulted in a lack of institutional knowledge among national security workers.
“We’ve lost veterans who served in cybersecurity, nuclear experts,” Tran said. “These people are no longer with us.”
Tran served in the Army Reserve for eight years, including in military operations after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, his congressional bio notes.
Crow is a former Army Ranger and Bronze Star recipient. Goodlander served as an intelligence officer in the Navy Reserve for more than 10 years, and Sherrill flew missions as a helicopter pilot during her nearly decade of active duty in the Navy.