Sheila Jackson Lee: “I think I would like to raise the question, what would Abraham Lincoln do, a man who faced the turmoil of a divided…”

“I think I would like to raise the question, what would Abraham Lincoln do, a man who faced the turmoil of a divided Nation. I think he would look for an individual like General Mr. Lloyd Austin, someone who had had the balance of seeing life as a civilian but being an impeccable leader of the United States military. Mr. Speaker, before I came to this floor, I walked down Independence Avenue to greet the young men and women in the National Guard who had come here from Texas. I wanted to let them know how important it was for them to be here to defend the citadel of democracy and how grateful we were that we had a peaceful transition of power yesterday. What I see in Mr. Austin is a recognition that civilian control of the military has been a bedrock principle of our democracy since the founding of our Republic. Yet, at the same time, in the backdrop of the last 4 years, I think he is needed for two reasons. One, the military has faced an enormous amount of instability. They were called ``suckers'' and ``losers.'' Generals were criticized. So you need someone who is a military person's military person, someone they know is part of the team. Then you need someone who can build that morale. Yes, we had morale in the previous administration of President Barack Obama, having respected them. Now, I believe we must give President Joe Biden the opportunity for his Secretary of Defense. Mr.…”