With less than 12 hours remaining until a potential U.S. government shutdown on October 1st, 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that only those willing to wage war deserve peace, drawing parallels to George Orwell's "1984" and its slogan "War is Peace." This statement was made as congressional leaders continue to negotiate funding to avert a shutdown, according to a report on X. Hegseth's remarks, shared on X, asserted, "As history teaches us, the only people who actually deserve peace and those who are willing to wage war to defend it. That's why pacifism is so naive and dangerous." This comes as President Donald Trump previously addressed military leaders at Quantico regarding various policy initiatives and global contracts. President Trump had previously spoken to top military officials at Quantico on September 30th, 2025, discussing national security and his administration's achievements, including securing $170 billion in global contracts. During these addresses, he also criticized policies such as "identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses," and "climate change worship," statements also reported on X. The ongoing shutdown deadline adds urgency to these discussions. Previous reports from September 30th, 2025, indicated that White House talks between President Trump and congressional leaders regarding the shutdown had ended without progress. Republicans were seeking a 7-week extension, while Democrats aimed to include health insurance subsidies. The Senate was scheduled to vote on a House-passed bill to keep the government open. Concurrently, President Trump had also declared that major U.S. cities were experiencing a "war from within" and vowed to address drug flow into the country.
