Political Quotes

“I rise today to once again call for every Senator to have an opportunity to vote on a generational bill to fix how the military deals with sexual assault and other serious crimes. It is the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act. This bill will ensure that men and women who serve in our military have the opportunity for basic justice, basic civil liberties, and basic protection under the law. I want to start by recognizing the monumental advance toward military justice reform made during our Senate work week. The Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military released their recommendations, which included removing the prosecution of sexual assault and related crimes from the chain of command. It is a historic sign of progress after decades of obstruction. The Secretary of Defense has agreed with the Commission's findings that the removal of sexual assault prosecutions from the chain of command and the professionalization of the military justice system would benefit survivors and in no way diminish good order and discipline. It is also a historic sign of progress that President Biden has endorsed all of these recommendations. After years--years--of pushing for these types of reforms, this change in thinking from our military and executive leadership is truly momentous. Every crime that the IRC reviewed, they recommended removing it from the chain of command.…”