US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) tonight delivered remarks from the Senate Floor about his opposition to President Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense, Peter Hegseth.
“The big concern I have about him, in addition to the character issues, the experience issues, the drinking issues…what distresses me so much about Mr. Hegseth is how he used his very powerful forum on FOX TV—in my view—to dishonor the soldiers who acted with restraint, and valor, and integrity,” said Senator Welch.
Watch Senator Welch’s remarks here:
Key quotes from Senator Welch’s speech:
“There’s been a lot of discussion by my colleagues about the lack of experience of Mr. Hegseth—I share that concern. There’s been a lot of discussion about his views on women in the military. Our own distinguished Senator, Tammy Duckworth, is the most preeminent example of the capacity of women to serve effectively and bravely. Mr. Hegseth has repudiated his well-founded and longstanding view that he’s against women in the military, frankly, it sounds to me like a nomination-eve consideration.”
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“Our democracy so profoundly depends on the idealism of young people who are willing to subject themselves to the decisions of the commander in chief. And I believe that every one of us here, who’s involved in the decisions about authorizing the use of military force, have an absolutely profound obligation to do that with care, because the folks who are going to do the work and be in harm’s way are going to be there because we sent them there. It’s why I’ve been so insistent—as many of us here—that we have to have a good VA, we have to have medical care for our soldiers and sailors and airmen and Marines.
“But what we need, too, is a Secretary of Defense who honors that idealism of these young Americans who decide to enlist. And that idealism is born in a sense of common commitment, a sense of common good, and it’s also to live by the code of military conduct. There is great honor in our services.”