The following is the transcript of an interview with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Aug. 24, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And we’re back now with the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen. She joins us from Amman, Jordan. Good morning, Senator. I know we’ve got a bit of a delay here, so I’ll launch right in.
SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN: Good morning, or, afternoon here.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah, exactly. You do sit on the Armed Services Committee as well. Here in Washington, there was a sudden round of firings we learned of on Friday. There was Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency. He was dismissed, the Pentagon did not explain why. In addition, the Navy Reserve chief, Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore, was fired. The Navy SEAL who oversees Naval Special Warfare Command, Rear Admiral Milton Sands, was dismissed. Has Congress been informed as to why these leaders are being fired by Secretary Hegseth?
SEN. SHAHEEN: I’m not aware that Congress has been informed about any of these firings, and they come on the heels of firings earlier this year, of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the head of Naval Operations, Admiral Franchetti, and a series of other military leaders. And it’s unfortunate, because one of the things, one of the strengths of America’s military, are the professional military leaders who have come up through the ranks, who have the training, the expertise, to be able to do the jobs. And what we don’t want is political people in those jobs, who are not going to give honest assessments of the military situation wherever we happen to be. So it’s very troubling.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I believe our feed there just froze, and we’re going to try to get that back up, if we can. The Senator is joining us from Amman, Jordan. So I’m going to take a break while we reestablish that connection.
SEN. SHAHEEN: The feed just froze.
(ANNOUNCEMENTS)
MARGARET BRENNAN: And we’re back now with Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who joins us remote from Amman, Jordan. We- we lost you there, but we’re so glad you’re back with us now, Senator. Let me ask you about why you are in the Middle East right now. We heard on Friday, this internationally recognized body, backed by the UN, the IPC. It tracks hunger. And they confirmed, technically confirmed, there is a man-made famine underway in Gaza. This is a very rare designation, only four other times has one been designated. The country you are in, Jordan, called it a “shameful failure of humanity” that Israel is starving Palestinians with impunity, called it a war crime. Would you say that that three month blockade by Israel of Gaza is a war crime?
SEN. SHAHEEN: I think is- it is a shameful black mark on humanity that the world has allowed this to happen and that Israel is allowing this to happen. One of the- we had a very good meeting today with King Abdullah of Jordan, and one of the places that we visited is the Jordan humanitarian assistance program that is trying to get aid into Gaza. This is an- it funded trucks and warehouses and food that the United States has contributed to as part of this administration. They are trying to get in 150 trucks a day into Israel. And Israel has prevented those trucks from going in in a way that would provide the nutrition that Gazans need to prevent starvation. It is unacceptable. Prime Minister Netanyahu is the point at which obstruction is happening. He needs to look at what he’s doing and change his position.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office on Friday had a very harsh statement about the famine designation. They called it, quote, “a modern blood libel, spreading like wildfire through prejudice.” That suggests this is about anti-Jewish hate rather than starvation. How do you make sense of the Israeli defense?
SEN. SHAHEEN: I don’t think that’s a good defense. The fact is, this is not about antisemitism, which I abhor, and the United States’ position is against antisemitism, and we need to do everything we can to prevent it. But the reality is, we have people dying because they are systematically being starved to death, because Israel is refusing to allow in the humanitarian aid that people need to keep alive. Not only that, they’re getting ready to do another- or, they’ve already started, planning another major incursion into Gaza in ways that are going to kill more people. So this is not acceptable. The world needs to speak out. I think it’s very important that we allow that humanitarian aid in, to the people who are starving.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I- I understand your criticism right now. I want to ask you a little bit though about standing U.S. policy, because this has been a problem even during the Biden administration. In fact, former deputy national security adviser for President Biden Joe- Jon Finer, just wrote a piece in the Atlantic, and he said that while he stands by the decision to embrace Israel after October 7, he believes “we did far too little, far too late to limit the truly catastrophic civilian harm that Israel’s response inflicted.” Do you agree with him, and do you wish that you spoke out more forcefully sooner?
SEN. SHAHEEN: I don’t think this is a partisan position. With me on this journey to Jordan is Congressman Joe Wilson from South Carolina. He agreed with me that we need to make sure those humanitarian aid trucks get into Israel. We need to do everything possible to ensure that Prime Minister Netanyahu is stopping the roadblocks that are preventing the humanitarian aid from getting in. I think it’s something that, I hope, that both Democrats and Republicans can embrace.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But- but do you agree with this self criticism by this key Democrat? Do you think Democrats should have said more sooner–
(BEGIN CROSSTALK)
SEN. SHAHEEN: We should be doing more and we should have done more. Absolutely.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah. I want to also ask you–
SEN. SHAHEEN: I think everybody–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Go ahead.
SEN. SHAHEEN: –should have said more sooner, not just Democrats, but Republicans.
(END CROSSTALK)
MARGARET BRENNAN: Why are you now?
SEN. SHAHEEN: We had the opportunity to be here today to meet with those Jordanians who are working very hard to try and get humanitarian aid into Gaza, who are being stymied in that effort by bureaucratic obstacles that make no sense. When it takes hours to scan a truck, which could be done in two to three, and it diverts the aid when it’s costing hundreds of dollars per truck, and they turn those trucks away, and when they come back the next day, it costs another hundreds of dollars more for the same truck, when they find an excuse for why it gets stopped at the border. That’s- that’s not a legitimate effort to get humanitarian aid in to the people of Gaza who are starving. And that can be changed. All it takes is Prime Minister Netanyahu saying, we’re going to allow that aid in.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Senators Jeanne Shaheen joining us from Amman, Jordan. Bit of a delay there. We’ll be right back.