Political Quotes

“Madam President, I rise again today in support of my colleague in calling for consideration of the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act. This is an effort whose time has come for serious debate and consideration on the Senate floor. For 8 years, the Senate Armed Services Committee, on which Senator Gillibrand and I sit, has worked on countless efforts to seek justice for victims of sexual assault, all within the chain of command. Many of these were good provisions pushed by myself and others to reduce the barriers in reporting sexual assaults. Provisions focused on both prevention and professionalization of military courts handling sexual assault cases and efforts to improve the culture and ensure all enlistees receive sexual assault prevention training before attendance at their initial training. This is just to name a few. What has brought me here today supporting this effort with Senator Gillibrand and Senator Grassley, with 64 cosponsors in the Senate, is that while these efforts were well-intentioned, our plague continues. That is not OK with me as a combat veteran, a former commander, and sexual assault survivor myself. If our military is going to face the threats of the decades ahead, we will need a force that is free from the threats in its own ranks. As I mentioned, this legislation has 64 bipartisan cosponsors and more than 50 percent of committee members' support. It is the right bill at the right time, and we must not delay any further.…”