Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, this amendment will eliminate the inspector general position responsible for overseeing diversity and inclusion efforts in the military. My colleagues across the aisle must understand the full purpose of this office. Number one, it is tasked with supporting effective, evidence-based programs on diversity and inclusion. Number two, it is responsible for responding to extremism and criminal gang activity within our Department of Defense. This amendment eliminates the investigators who are responsible for weeding out criminal efforts in our government, the same investigators who keep our military accountable to the people we serve. Mr. Chair, is it my colleagues' intent to support these criminal activities? Because eliminating the deputy inspector position is exactly the message this sends to our department and the American people. Researchers at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism looked at three decades of extremist attacks in the U.S., and they found that a military background is the most commonly shared characteristic among extremists who committed or plotted mass casualty attacks from 1990 through 2022. Offenders with military backgrounds were 2\1/2\ times more likely to be classified as a mass fatality perpetrator than extremists who don't serve in the Armed Forces. Through December 2021, 120 individuals with U.S. military backgrounds were identified as participants in the violent failed coup on January 6.…”