OSHKOSH, Wis. (CBS 58) – Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth came to Oshkosh Monday, Aug. 24, to highlight American manufacturing and thank companies like Oshkosh Corporation, all while highlighting his want for a record military budget.
"We don't have the helmets without the hard hats, and we don't have the warriors without the workers,” Hegseth said.
While Hegseth was on stage, employees of Oshkosh Corporation were in attendance. Oshkosh Corporation has been building military vehicles for the United States and allies since 2015. Oshkosh Defense has manufactured more than 25,000 joint light tactical vehicles for the U.S. armed forces and allied partners worldwide since that time.
“Secretary Hegseth’s visit underscores the critical role American industry plays in strengthening our nation’s Arsenal of Freedom,” said John Pfeifer, president and CEO of Oshkosh Corporation. “Oshkosh Defense is backed by the scale, innovation and manufacturing strength of our global commercial enterprise, giving Oshkosh the capacity and agility to respond quickly as the needs of the warfighter evolve. From proven technologies to world-class production at scale, we stand ready to bring the full strength of Oshkosh to bear in support of the Department of War and our national defense.”
Oshkosh Corporation is also a commercial manufacturer, a business model Hegseth said he wants to see more companies follow. He also had a request for them: move faster to support defense production needs.
“I want all of our defense contractors to pivot, and that’s why we are doing this Arsenal of Freedom tour -- pivot to a wartime footing and build for victory,” Hegseth said.
While asking companies to step up, he’s also asking Congress to pass a $1.5 trillion budget -- the largest in U.S. history, according to the secretary.
“It’s absolutely necessary. When you look under the hood and you understand the nature of the threat, you understand the negligence of previous administrations, the deferred maintenance. It is what we must provide for the necessity of today’s warriors,” Hegseth said.
The request comes as the U.S. Treasury reports the United States currently has a deficit of over $40 trillion. In the audience was Congressman Glenn Grothman. He said he thinks the Department of War needs to take a look at where they can cut their budget but acknowledged that the ways of war have changed.
“It’s just too much. I mean, unless the president is very aggressive in cutting spending other places, which in the past, he has not been,” Grothman said.
Democrats sent out the following statement in response to Hegseth's visit:
“Pete Hegseth and Wisconsin Republicans like Tom Tiffany, Derrick Van Orden, and Bryan Steil are so desperate to do damage control for jacking up the cost of living with their wildly unpopular tariffs and endless war-of-choice in Iran that they have now stooped to parading around Hegseth to sell them on a failed economic agenda. Wisconsinites see through Republicans’ slimy sales pitch and are tired of footing the bill for foreign wars and tariffs that have crushed our businesses, farmers, and manufacturers.”