On the recordOctober 21, 2015
Mr. President, last night the National Defense Authorization Act arrived at the White House and on the desk of the President of the United States. President Obama has said he is going to veto it or he has threatened to veto it. I rise on the floor of the Senate today to beg him to rethink his position and caution him before he moves too swiftly to send the message to the rest of the world that America is disengaged. If he vetoes the National Defense Authorization Act, he is convincing and confirming for Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, the Chinese Government, the Ayatollah in Iran, and the rest of the world that America is relegating itself to a spectator on the sidelines of world affairs rather than a beacon of hope for the oppressed, those in search of democracy, and those who are at the feet of dictators. It is time that we make sure our military is funded and authorized to the levels that are necessary to confront the world's challenges, which are more today than I have ever seen. I have just returned from the Mediterranean, where I was on the USS Winston Churchill, the destroyer that is dealing with some of the problems of the migration of people fleeing totalitarian governments in the Middle East. I was at Fort Gordon, GA, where the cyber command is now being set up by the U.S. Army. Cyber terrorism and cyber threats are the biggest threats we face today.…





