[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 14 (Thursday, January 23, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S324]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Cabinet Nominations

  Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, first, I want to thank my 
colleague from North Carolina for his comments with regard to Canada, 
Greenland, Mexico, and the Panama Canal. We have to support the 
President. He is acting in the best interests of the American public.
  On November 5, the American public overwhelmingly elected President 
Donald Trump with a very clear mandate. Democrats here in Washington 
don't have to like it, but it is not up to them. That is what the 
American people decided. Let's remember, we work for the American 
people. We don't work for the Democrats' special interests or radical 
ideologies. Democrats need to get over the fact that Donald Trump won 
to make government work for the American people.
  President Trump has put together a great team with the needed 
qualifications to deliver on that clear mandate. His nominees are fully 
qualified, and we have the votes to get them confirmed.
  Think about this: When Barack Obama got elected in 2009, he had seven 
nominees confirmed on the first day--seven. How many do we have? One. 
By day three, President Obama had 12. Today is the fourth day of 
President Trump's term, and because of the Democrats' obstruction, we 
have only two of President Trump's Cabinet nominees confirmed. That is 
wrong.
  In 2021, Joe Biden's Defense nominee Lloyd Austin was confirmed 2 
days after Biden took office, but here we are on January 23, 2025. It 
has been 4 days, and President Trump's nominee to lead the Department 
of Defense has been reported out of committee but still has not gotten 
a vote.
  Now that President Trump has been sworn in, it is time for Democrats 
to put country before politics and to quit their obstructionist and 
stall tactics and allow votes to confirm every single Donald Trump 
nominee.
  It is time to get to work for the American people. This starts with 
voting to confirm Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense today--not 
tomorrow, not the next day; today. This Senate should not go home for 
the weekend until we vote on his confirmation.
  As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and as a Navy 
veteran, I have seen clearly that we need a leader in the Pentagon who 
puts America's national interests above all else.
  I have seen how the Biden-Harris administration pushed the Department 
of Defense to prioritize wokeness over being the most lethal military 
force in the world. They prioritized diversity quotas and bureaucracy 
over recruiting strong individuals who are ready to serve and protect 
our Nation. The Biden administration put our national security and the 
safety of our troops at risk, and we need someone who understands the 
mission and is ready to deliver.
  The status quo in Washington, DC, has gone unchallenged for too long. 
The Pentagon, which failed seven consecutive annual financial audits, 
is the best example of a government that is completely unaccountable to 
the American taxpayer.
  Pete Hegseth is a decorated combat veteran who understands the 
mission and what is needed to advance President Trump's agenda and 
reform the Department of Defense to make America's military the world's 
most lethal fighting force. That is what every American expects. He 
understands the sacrifice our military members and their families make 
because he has been to war. He has led his fellow service men and women 
into combat, and he knows individuals who have lost their lives or have 
been gravely injured in defending our Nation.
  Pete knows how to hold people accountable, how to make sure we 
promote based on meritocracy, and how to get rid of the broken, woke 
policies implemented by the Biden administration.
  After his Active-Duty service, Pete continued to stand by his fellow 
servicemembers here at home by leading the Concerned Veterans of 
America and by demonstrating a commitment to our Nation's fighters 
rather than to the status quo.
  Although leftwing media has fixated on an anonymous whisper campaign 
in an attempt to discredit and dismiss his achievements during his time 
at the CVA, those who worked closely with him tell a different story, a 
positive story.
  The policy priorities he championed were ultimately adopted by 
Congress and the Trump administration and will benefit veterans for 
generations to come.
  The Department of Defense is one of the Federal Government's largest 
bureaucracies. That requires a leader who understands how to rely on a 
team, push for accountability, and bring needed reform.
  Under President Trump and Pete's strong leadership, the U.S. military 
will once again become the world's most lethal fighting force that our 
enemies fear and our allies respect, and I will do everything I can to 
support their mission.
  Americans elected Trump as a mandate for change, and he is building a 
team to deliver. Pete is the fighter we need and the right person to 
get the Department of Defense back on track.
  We live in a very dangerous world and cannot risk the safety of this 
Nation any further by not having President Trump's national security 
nominees in office today.
  I would like to encourage my Democratic colleagues to get over their 
loss--I am sure it is hard--and let these nominees come to the floor 
for a vote. They can vote however they want, but allow us to vote on 
these nominees.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Scott of Florida). The Senator from New 
Jersey.