WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ahead of voting against his nomination on the Senate Floor, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) tonight delivered remarks outlining his opposition to President Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth: 

“There’s been a lot of discussion by my colleagues about the lack of experience of Mr. Hegseth—I share that concern. There’s been a lot of discussion about his views on women in the military. Our own distinguished Senator, Tammy Duckworth, is the most preeminent example of the capacity of women to serve effectively and bravely. Mr. Hegseth has repudiated his well-founded and longstanding view that he’s against women in the military. Frankly, it sounds to me like a nomination-eve consideration.”  

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“Our democracy so profoundly depends on the idealism of young people who are willing to subject themselves to the decisions of the Commander-in-Chief. And I believe that every one of us here, who’s involved in the decisions about authorizing the use of military force, have an absolutely profound obligation to do that with care, because the folks who are going to do the work and be in harm’s way are going to be there because we sent them there. It’s why I’ve been so insistent—as have many of us here—that we have to have a good VA, we have to have medical care for our Soldiers and Sailors and Airmen and Marines.   

“But what we need, too, is a Secretary of Defense who honors that idealism of these young Americans who decide to enlist. And that idealism is born in a sense of common commitment, a sense of common good, and it’s also to live by the Code of Military Conduct. There is great honor in our Services.”  
 

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“What distresses me so much about Mr. Hegseth is how he used his very powerful forum on Fox, in my view—to dishonor the soldiers who acted with restraint, and valor, and integrity by taking up the cause of some of our soldiers, there’s not many of them but they do exist—who kill people, who use violence. Not in furtherance of our defense, but for their own reasons…” 

Watch Senator Welch’s remarks here: 

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