Political Quotes

“This waiver vote is about our long history of civilian control of the military, a critical safeguard of our democracy. But let's be really clear what this vote is not about. It is not about the rise of China or artificial intelligence or autonomous warfare or any of the other issues that I have heard people talk about that are really the purview of the Senate at this point in the process and President Biden. It is also not about changing the law, because the law remains in effect and the limitation remains in effect. The question before this body is whether there are specific extenuating circumstances in this moment in time to grant a waiver and whether the heart and mind of the nominee is consistent with the spirit of the law. In the aftermath of January 6, we are reminded how deeply rooted racism exists in our country. Among those who stormed the Capitol were current and former military, a fact that highlights the national and domestic security threat of extremism in our military. Secretary-designee Austin is uniquely qualified with his experience and his background to address this threat. He understands in a deeply personal way how to deal with it. He is a man who understands that our military is more than a formation of tanks, planes, and troops; that it is actually a standard bearer of our values, and we are stronger when we lead with our values and we channel the full strength of our diversity to meet our threats.…”