Mike Levin: “I oppose the amendment to reopen the Navy's decision to donate the U.S.S. Missouri to Pearl Harbor. These are obviously…”

“I oppose the amendment to reopen the Navy's decision to donate the U.S.S. Missouri to Pearl Harbor. These are obviously very difficult decisions for all of us to make because of the friendships with the Senators from the States involved. I do believe, under these circumstances, the GAO found that the Navy's donation process was impartially applied, to use their words. They are critical of some aspects of the process and many of these processes are not perfect in their application. But to me, the key words of the GAO report are that the Navy's donation process appears to have been impartially applied, and the GAO's statement on page 10 where they say that on June 5, 1996, each of the five applicants was notified for the first time that 'In addition to the financial and technical information that you've provided, your application will also be evaluated in terms of its overall public benefit to the Navy and to the historical significance associated with each location to include the manner in which the ship will be used as a naval museum or memorial.'”