[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 73 (Thursday, May 1, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2729-S2730]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Pete Hegseth

  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

[[Page S2730]]

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.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.