Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise in opposition to the National Defense Authorization Act--a position I do not take lightly. I have supported the final passage of each NDAA that has come before me in the Senate up until now. From my tenure in this body and well before me, there has been a productive bipartisan tradition when it comes to this bill that authorizes funding for our military, supporting those in uniform, and keeping our country safe. Most years, we come together on a very quintessential country-over-party deal--one that I would argue is all too uncommon; but, still, this was an important annual ritual that carried serious consequences. This is not to say that we do not have our differences. Of course, we do. But we know our commitment is bigger than those differences. This year, that commitment to our servicemembers, to the people we all represent, and to our security and safety was broken. It has been broken because some Republicans decided that gutting the rights of our servicemembers to score cheap political points was more worthy. Let's be clear. We are talking about parents who are serving our country in uniform having the right to consult with their family's doctor and get the healthcare they want and need for their transgender children. That is it. They want the right to get whatever healthcare is best for their child--something I imagine all parents want. The healthcare we are talking about here can sometimes be lifesaving.…”