[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 14 (Thursday, January 23, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S318]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Nomination of Peter Hegseth

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, if there was one word--one word--that 
should never, ever describe a Secretary of Defense, it is ``erratic,'' 
but that is the one word that describes Mr. Hegseth best. Advancing a 
Secretary of Defense is one of the most important votes Senators are 
going to take all year. This man has lives in his hands--the lives of 
citizens, the lives of people of the world, and the lives of the brave 
men and women in our Armed Forces.
  So I want my colleagues to think carefully. Of all of the people we 
could have as Secretary of Defense, is Pete Hegseth really the best one 
we have got? Come on. You know he isn't. You know he is not even close.
  Is this the best man we have to lead the greatest military in the 
world? Is this man with a known history of excessive drinking the guy 
you want at the other end of the phone at 2 a.m., in a crisis, in 
control of the nuclear codes? Who are we kidding? Who are we kidding?
  Is this the man--with a mile-long list of allegations of abusing, 
degrading, and harassing women--you want to be leading our men and 
women in battle?
  Is this the man, with a track record of erratic behavior, the best 
you think the members of our military deserve as a leader?
  Is this the man, with a truly horrific and devastating lack of 
judgment, the best you think our country and our fighting men and women 
deserve?
  Pete Hegseth has proven to lack the necessary morality, sense, 
judgment. So I plead--I plead--with some of my Republican colleagues 
just to answer me this: Do you think this is the best person for the 
job? Do you think this is the best person we have to lead the best 
military in the world?
  I yield the floor.

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