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[Page S5533]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
S. RES. 685
Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I come to the floor to first thank Senator
Duckworth for leading many of us to come to the floor this week to
stand in solidarity with all of the military families around the
country and throughout our Nation's history who have sacrificed so much
in service to our country.
I hope we can all join together, not as Republicans and Democrats but
as servants of the American people, in expressing outrage and disgust
at the comments made by the President that were confirmed by multiple
news outlets last week. A deep reverence for servicemembers, including
the Presiding Officer, who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our
country, has never before been a partisan issue in this body or in our
country.
These Americans laid down their lives because they loved this
country, and they loved what we stand for. They understood something
that President Trump never will, which is the idea of service--the
ethos of giving your all for something greater than yourself.
I know some of my colleagues will continue to bury their heads in the
sand to pretend the President couldn't possibly have said those things,
but if you don't believe it is within President Trump's character to
denigrate our troops, you haven't been paying attention over the last 5
years.
President Trump called our former colleague and our friend Senator
John McCain--an American war hero to every one of us--a loser. He
denigrated all POWs and their families when he said he liked people who
were not captured. He attacked a Gold Star family, whose son paid the
ultimate sacrifice for our country, with anti-Muslim bigotry. He
repeatedly attacked and retaliated against LTC Alexander Vindman, who
spent his entire life serving our country.
Yet, as despicable and disrespectful as they are, it is not just
President Trump's words--it is his actions. He diverted funding from
our military bases to pay for his vanity project border wall.
He has made it easier for payday lenders to prey on our
servicemembers by selling them predatory loans at exorbitant rates. In
Dayton, go to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and look at the payday
lenders that just crop up around our military bases.
The President handed out favors to foreign banks, like Santander,
that illegally repossessed servicemembers' cars and illegally
foreclosed on their homes while they were defending our country.
He ordered the closure of the military's newspaper, Stars and
Stripes, because it refused to serve as a propaganda machine for him.
Under pressure, he is saying he is now going to bring it back.
Now he is failing to protect our troops and our veterans from this
disease. His administration used them as guinea pigs this spring by
prescribing them hydroxychloroquine tablets--an unproven COVID
treatment. He did that this spring while he was not telling the country
about the seriousness of this disease.
None of this should be partisan. I know my Republican colleagues and
I disagree on a lot of things--taxes and budgets and healthcare
policy--but I have never heard any of us disagree on the fact that
Americans who serve our country are American heroes. Whether they
fought during World War I or fought against fascists in World War II,
like my father did, or are defending us today, we owe them and their
families a debt of gratitude. Those who made the ultimate sacrifice
were mothers and fathers and sons and daughters and aunts and uncles.
They had hopes, and they had dreams of devoting careers to service.
All of my colleagues have spoken to the families of the fallen. We
try to empathize with the unbearable pain they go through. Some of my
colleagues have been those brothers or sisters or sons or daughters.
All of our servicemembers and all of our veterans and all of their
families deserve better.
I ask my colleagues to join me and Senator Duckworth in standing in
solidarity with all American servicemembers and veterans and their
families.
We will never forget the debt we owe you. We are humbled by your
commitment to service.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________
