Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise to speak about the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. For the 60th consecutive year, the Senate stands poised to pass legislation that authorizes funding for national defense and sets the course for the Department of Defense's policies. This year, we consider this legislation during a moment of deep reflection and anguish, as Americans reckon with our ugly history of systemic racism and the original sin of chattel slavery. For weeks, all across this Nation, Americans have taken to the streets to call for justice and call for an end to the racist violence that has stolen far too many Black lives. We say the names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Atatiana Jefferson, and so many other Black men and women to reaffirm the simple but powerful truth that they mattered. Their lives mattered. Black lives matter. This moment is about ending police brutality once and for all. It is also about ending systemic racism and dismantling White supremacy in every aspect of our economy and our society. It is about building an America that lives up to its highest ideals. The Defense bill we are debating today takes an important step in this direction by addressing the honors that our Nation continues to bestow on Confederate officers, who took up arms against the United States in defense of chattel slavery. This bill denies those honors to military leaders who killed U.S.…”