[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 121 (Tuesday, July 15, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S4350]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Nomination of Anthony Tata

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to urge my colleagues to 
carefully consider their vote on the nomination of Mr. Anthony Tata to 
be Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
  The position is absolutely critical and crucial. The Under Secretary 
of Defense for Personnel and Readiness is responsible for all personnel 
matters in the Department of Defense, including military families, 
childcare, family and financial readiness, the military school system, 
and working with the military services to ensure the health and welfare 
of the force. It requires a leader of the highest quality of judgment, 
expertise, and character.
  There is no question that President Trump has the right to choose 
whom he wants in this critical role, but the Under Secretary of Defense 
for Personnel and Readiness should be someone who is capable, without 
question, to meet the demands of the job and the expectations of those 
he will lead.
  Mr. Tata was nominated 5 years ago for a position of similar 
importance in the Defense Department. However, the Armed Services 
Committee considered his nomination carefully and, on a bipartisan 
basis, declined to even bring his nomination to a vote. President Trump 
ultimately withdrew his nomination. I fail to understand why he now 
would be qualified to oversee millions of servicemembers and their 
families as the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
  I respect and I appreciate his military service, but his record of 
public statements and behavior toward individuals with whom he 
disagrees politically is disqualifying for a position of this 
significance.
  Mr. Tata's history of controversial and divisive statements is well-
documented. Prior to his last nomination, he publicly called President 
Obama, the Commander in Chief, ``a terrorist leader.'' And he said that 
then-CIA Director John Brennan deserved to be executed. More recently, 
he made unsubstantiated claims that there are ``mutinous discussions'' 
within the military ranks to sabotage President Trump, and he called 
for a complete purge of Pentagon leadership, including firing all four-
star generals and senior career civilian employees.
  I am concerned that Mr. Tata has a misguided and discriminatory view 
of the military and civilian workforces he would oversee. Our 
servicemembers and their families and the civilian employees who 
support them come from all backgrounds and political persuasions. They 
come from every State and territory in the Union--red States and blue 
States. Mr. Tata, to be effective, would need to serve all members of 
the Department of Defense and their families, not just those with whom 
he agrees politically. His public record and past performance at the 
Pentagon do not inspire confidence in this great regard.
  Mr. Tata failed to alleviate any of these concerns during his hearing 
before the Senate Armed Services Committee. In fact, he doubled down on 
his goal of removing leadership seen as not loyal to this 
administration and gave no indication he would exercise measured and 
independent judgment and seems intent on furthering this 
administration's political weaponization of the military.
  The worst thing that could happen to our military is it becomes a 
political arm of the President of the United States--any President. 
Military men and women take an oath to defend the Constitution of the 
United States, not to serve a President. That has kept our military not 
only above the political fray but the most expert, the most credible, 
and the most dominant military force in history. If we have personnel 
in key positions that are evaluating people on their political beliefs 
rather than their merit, talent, and commitment to the Constitution, we 
are making a profound mistake.
  As I hope my colleagues know, my top priority has been national 
security and avoiding partisanship as much as one can do. I am ready 
and able to pick up the phone and talk to people in the Department of 
Defense, regardless of political party. We look consciously--I look 
consciously--for common ground in which we can work together because, 
ultimately, it is not about Republican Presidents, Democratic 
Presidents, Republican priorities; it is about the welfare and 
effectiveness of men and women who wear the uniform of the United 
States. They deserve more than partisanship. They serve cooperation, 
consideration, and respect for their views.
  The American people also deserve that because they are the ones who 
ultimately are supporting these men and women and not just in a 
financial sense but in a very, very strong, profound, emotional sense 
of lending their support, of saluting these brave men and women. I am 
extraordinarily proud of that.
  Having reviewed twice and very carefully Mr. Tata's record, 
particularly his political--indeed, naked political assertions of going 
after his enemies, placing him in this position would, I think, put him 
at a point where he would do more harm than good. Therefore, I urge my 
colleagues to vote against his nomination.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.