-9999

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to talk about how my Democratic colleagues, some RINOs, and the globalist media are working together to try to take down Donald Trump and derail his ``America First'' agenda. The latest target, President Trump's Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth.

I have said many times that I am convinced that many Democrats would rather see America and its leaders fail than to see this country succeed. It is sad, but it is true.

You know, when President Trump nominated Pete Hegseth to serve as Secretary of Defense, he intentionally picked someone who understands what it means to fight for this country, not from behind a desk but from the frontlines. Pete didn't inherit the stars on his uniform; he earned his stripes while serving in the Middle East. He is one of the few in Washington who has been in the fight and experienced the traumas of war. He knows firsthand what the warfighter goes through each and every day, which is why military recruiting has skyrocketed under his leadership.

I don't know about you, but as the dad of two sons, I am glad that the man leading our Department of Defense knows the dangers of war firsthand.

You know, for decades, this country has gotten involved in foreign wars that we have had no business being involved in. Thousands of Americans have lost their lives, trillions of dollars have been squandered fighting wars where no clear objectives past the victory have ever been provided to the American citizen. We just fight them. You would think that we would learn from at least one or two of these painful lessons, but, no, that hasn't stopped the globalist warmonger machine in Washington, DC. They love war because it funds paychecks.

You know, for this reason, Democrats, the swamp, and some RINOs banded together to oppose Pete Hegseth immediately after he was nominated by President Trump--didn't take them long. I am convinced that their opposition to Hegseth was only because he was not part of the military-industrial complex.

As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I came to the Senate floor to urge my colleagues to support Pete Hegseth's nomination because of his outsider--not Washington, DC, but outsider--status. Thankfully, he was confirmed. But, unfortunately, the smears--some of which have come from my colleagues--have only gotten worse since Hegseth was confirmed.

Globalists and the media, some Republicans, are working overtime to try to get Pete Hegseth. The media is breathlessly rushing to put a microphone in front of every single disgruntled former Pentagon employee who has been fired by this Secretary. You know, it doesn't matter what you are fired for; all that matters to the media and the RINOs is that they have something to say bad about the Secretary of Defense. It is clear as day that these efforts to embarrass Hegseth are nothing more than desperate attempts to salvage reputations and distract from the successes he is already having in the Pentagon.

The truth is, Hegseth inherited a complete, absolute mess at the DOD. The Pentagon has failed audits 7 years in a row. You know, if a business did that, they would go under. But in our government, that is just par for the course.

And thanks to the Biden administration's horrible withdrawal from Afghanistan, countries who hate us like China, Iran, and Venezuela have been emboldened. Instead of working to deter World War III, however, Joe Biden's Pentagon was more focused on social justice.

In 2024, the Biden Defense Department requested more than $114 million for DEI initiatives, 114 million. Meanwhile, recruitment was at a historic low and falling. Military readiness was slipping, and the world saw a weakened United States.

Pete Hegseth made it clear that he is here to reverse course and that changes that he has made are already visible to the positive. Secretary Hegseth has already eliminated more than 200 diversity and inclusion positions and cut more than 580 million in wasteful grants and contracts--580 million.

Secretary Hegseth has made it clear that he is focused on warfighting, readiness--mission-focused, not political correctness or appeasing the woke mob. He has restored merit-based promotions, refocused leadership training on battlefield effectiveness, terminated taxpayer-funded abortions for military personnel, and reinstalled discipline as a cornerstone of the United States of America military.

This isn't just talk either. The Department is actively removing woke DEI materials from service academies and replacing them with warfighting-centric curriculums.

He also cut through bloated procurement delays and brought transparency to the defense budget. What a novel concept is actually knowing what your budget is.

You know, just 4 months in, DOD has achieved 100 percent operational control of the border. This was after the Biden administration said for 4 years, hey, there was nothing they could do to secure the border. Well, what a joke.

Under Secretary Hegseth's leadership, the Department has moved to reduce acquisition timelines, fast track critical update systems, and is making sure the United States is ready to compete and win wars in the 21st century. And construction on the historic Golden Dome, by the way, is well underway.

But it is not just about equipment; Pete has doubled down on his support for the warfighter by improving access to mental health services and other resources that boost morale and readiness. It was much needed.

He reinstated the servicemembers who were wrongfully removed over their personal decision to not take the COVID-19 vaccine--many of them. He has reinstated quite a few. The fact that President Biden and Secretary Austin dismissed these servicemembers was absolutely dead wrong, and I am glad that President Trump's administration has taken quick action to right this wrong.

You know, when I met with Pete during his confirmation process, I told him plainly: Don't go to Washington to make friends, but go there and fight for the warfighter. So far, he has kept his promise.

I can't speak for everyone, but I know the folks I have talked to back in my State of Alabama are very appreciative. We need a Secretary of Defense who is focused on one thing and one thing only, defending America, and that is what Pete Hegseth is doing. And he will tell you this: There is no second place in war. We have to be ready at all times.

You know, under the Biden administration, 13 American troops lost their lives because of poor planning in Afghanistan. We all know that. We have seen it. We saw it pretty much live.

Under President Trump and Hegseth, we have executed successful strikes against terrorist Houthis that have resulted in critical shipping lanes being reopened. We have to get our shipping lanes open because it is costing this country millions and millions of dollars, and world leaders across the country are begging for this to happen.

Pete Hegseth didn't sign up to be liked by the DC cocktail circuit. You know, he committed to making the military great again, and that is exactly what he is doing.

The swamp doesn't like people it can't control, but America loves its leaders who tell the truth and fight for what matters. Pete Hegseth is one of those leaders. So let's be clear: Pete is not the problem. A lot of the media think Pete Hegseth is a problem. He is not the problem; he is the solution to the problem we have had.

And while the swamp keeps losing its ever-loving mind because we have leaders who are actually putting America first again, Secretary Hegseth will keep marching forward, focused on the only thing that matters: making our military the strongest, fiercest, and most respected fighting force in the world.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source