Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Several weeks ago, we learned that the President was considering, and the Secretary of Defense was preparing for, the possibility of deploying Active-Duty Forces under the authorities of the Insurrection Act. The Insurrection Act was not invoked in this case, but for many Americans, it was the first time hearing of a law that was originally drafted more than 200 years ago. For many of our men and women in uniform, it was the first time since taking the sacred oath to protect and defend that they imagined that they might be deployed against their own fellow citizens, not against a foreign adversary. Many of us were troubled to watch as members of our National Guard were deployed in the Washington, D.C., area as part of our response to the recent protests. In the Armed Services Committee markup and earlier today, we heard a robust debate about this centuries-old authority, and that is healthy for our democracy. Personally, I believe these authorities have done some good in our Nation's history. The Insurrection Act authorities were instrumental in enforcement of civil rights laws when some States were resistant. This amendment, my amendment, is very narrow in scope. Currently, title X, section 253 of the U.S.…”