Political Quotes

On the recordSeptember 12, 2019
it is not a rhetorical flourish to say that Senate Republicans are being fully obedient to the President of the United States. The evidence of the last few days has confirmed that Republicans are not standing up for American institutions when they are tested, and they will not defend the American people when it counts the most. Through their silence, through their legislative actions, and through their votes, Republicans are allowing funds appropriated to the Department of Defense--funds that address critical military needs in their own home States--to be stolen in order to pay for the President's wall. Let me explain. The way we do MILCON, military construction, is nonpartisan. It is not bipartisan; it is nonpartisan. That means there is zero politics involved in selecting military construction projects for funding. The process goes like this: The base commanders decide what projects they need in order to support their missions and military communities. These projects are set up through the chain of command from the base command to the installation command. If the installation command says the project meets the cut and is important enough for military readiness, it is sent to the Service Chief, the Marine Corps Commandant, the Secretary of the Navy, and so on. From there, each Service Chief decides what projects to present to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and then the Office of the Secretary of Defense racks and stacks these projects.…
Said by
Brian Schatz
Democratic · Hawaii

Share

More from Brian Schatz

Jun 24, 2026

I’m grateful to Secretary McMahon for working with us to protect this funding and will continue working every day to make sure Hawai‘i gets its fair share of federal dollars.

schatz.senate.gov
Jun 28, 2026

And a few weeks ago, as a war of his own making was ravaging people’s paychecks, he said, “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation.”

schatz.senate.gov
Jun 24, 2026

This is good news for Hawai‘i. This money helps thousands of young kids develop learning skills and gives local families more affordable child care options.

schatz.senate.gov
Jul 23, 2026

These are not bureaucratic mix-ups. Every day this money doesn't get to where it's supposed to go; every contribution, worth hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars, is delayed, people go hungry. People get sick. People die.

schatz.senate.gov

Other voices in this conversation