On the recordMarch 7, 2019
I am a Jewish American woman who served for 20 years in uniform and continue to serve in the United States Congress. At the age of 17, when I entered the United States Naval Academy, I first took the oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I subsequently repeated that oath six times at every promotion in rank and, most recently, when I had the honor to become a Member of Congress. Is that not enough to prove my loyalty to our Nation? I deployed six times, serving in six ships in the Middle East and Western Pacific, working under challenging conditions while operating complex weapons systems, overseeing nuclear reactors, driving ships, and, ultimately, commanding a combat-ready unit of 400 sailors. Is that not enough to prove my loyalty to our Nation? In the first 3 years my husband and I were married, we spent almost 2 years apart so that we could both serve at sea and deploy three times. Is that not enough to prove my loyalty to our Nation? The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
