Houlahan Visits USS Lincoln Sailors After Record Deployment

U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania’s 6th District visited sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln off the coast of Hawaii this weekend, as the aircraft carrier returned from one of the longest deployments in recent Navy history.

Houlahan traveled with a bipartisan congressional delegation led by Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, flying by helicopter to meet the ship while it was underway. The Lincoln departed San Diego in November 2025 and spent more than 300 days at sea, including a lengthy stretch in the Middle East, with about 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard.

The deployment drew scrutiny over conditions aboard the ship. Family members raised concerns about food and water shortages, broken plumbing and mental health challenges, according to USA Today. On Sept. 24, Cao disclosed that eight service members across the carrier strike group attempted suicide during the deployment. The Navy said no service member died by suicide.

Houlahan, the lead Democrat on the House Military Personnel Subcommittee, said she spent months investigating the reports before the trip. In a newsletter to constituents, she wrote that she met with support staff, officers and enlisted service members, including some from the Philadelphia suburbs, and came away with answers about what went right and what went wrong.

The carrier made its first port call in more than eight months in Thailand in early September and stopped in Guam on Sept. 19 before continuing toward San Diego. It is expected to arrive in late September or early October.

Houlahan said reenlistment rates among the Lincoln’s crew were higher than those of other ships, a bright spot she called remarkable given the hardships of the deployment.