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Andrew Yang on Homeland Security
Democratic Presidential Challenger & Tech CEO
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Threats of tomorrow are Chinese A.I. and military drones
Q: What has prepared you to respond to a terrorist attack or a major disaster?YANG: As commander-in-chief, I think we need to be focused on the real threats of the 21st century. And what are those threats? Climate change, artificial intelligence,
loose nuclear material, military drones, and non-state actors. And if you look, we're in the process of potentially losing the AI arms race to China right now, because they have more access to more data than we do, and their government is putting
billions of dollars to work subsidizing the development of AI in a way that we are not. We are 24 years behind on technology. And I can say that with authority, because we got rid of the Office of Technology Assessment in 1995.
Think about that timing. I guess they thought they'd invented everything. The next commander-in-chief has to be focused on the true threats of tomorrow. And that's what I will bring to the table as commander-in-chief.
Source: November Democratic primary debate in Atlanta
, Nov 20, 2019
Make domestic terrorism a primary focus of FBI, DHS, DOJ
Andrew would improve political rhetoric by refusing to use inflammatory language, create a federal domestic terrorism statute, enforce that law and study the rise of extremism through the FBI, DHS, and DOJ.
He would direct these agencies to view domestic terrorism as a primary focus, and work with allies abroad to combat the rise of extremism.
Source: USA Today on 2019 Democratic primary
, Nov 7, 2019
Military dumps oil at end of year, to avoid losing budget
We're spending $750 billion that we know of on our military industrial complex every year. And I'm going to share a story that I heard secondhand. But there was a fighter pilot who said that his least favorite time of the year is at the end of the fiscal
year, because he flies over the Pacific Ocean and dumps oil into the ocean.Now, why is he doing that? Because they have to use all the oil that's budgeted, or else they won't get the same amount budgeted the following year.
So this broke my heart
to even hear this story. We have to take some of that $750 billion and start channeling it towards our infrastructure.
We know we need to make our infrastructure more sustainable over time. Right now, there are hundreds of billions being
spent on our military that is generating a ton of emissions and pollution. And so if we take a significant portion of that budget and channel it towards infrastructure, we can make a good out of right now a huge net negative.
Source: CNN Climate Crisis Town Hall marathon (10 Democrats)
, Sep 4, 2019
I signed a pledge to end the Forever Wars
I've signed a pledge to end the forever wars. What we have to do is we have to start investing those resources to solve the problems right here at home. We've spent trillions of dollars and lost thousands of American lives in conflicts that have had
unclear benefits. We've been in a constant state of war for 18 years. This is not what the American people want. I would bring the troops home, I would de-escalate tensions with Iran, and I would start investing our resources in our own communities.
Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit)
, Jul 31, 2019
I'd love to declassify Area 51, for government transparency
Andrew Yang said he would 'love' to declassify Area 51, because he is a 'huge fan' of government transparency. "So I have to see what the information is, but if it's something I could declassify, I would love to do that," Yang told CBS News. "I'm a huge
fan of transparency and anything that isn't going to do the public harm, so if I become privy to any information about aliens or Area 51 or anything that I am able to share, I will share it."Yang's statement comes in response to a viral
Facebook event to "storm Area 51" and "see them aliens," with 1.7 million people marked "going" on Facebook, and another 1.3 million indicating interest on the Sept. 20 event.
The joke even reached the attention of the US Air Force, prompting a
warning to the potential participants to stay away from the military base: "The Nevada Test and Training Range is an area where the Air Force tests and trains combat aircraft. Any attempt to illegally access military training areas is dangerous."
Source: Business Insider magazine on 2020 Democratic primary
, Jul 19, 2019
Universal service is idealistic but wildly expensive
Should the government guarantee work or create jobs? Many idealistic people I know advocate for universal service opportunities. The problem is that it's very expensive. Teach for America spends approximately $51,000 per corps member on noncompensation
costs over two years: recruitment, selection, training, programming, support, and so on. The Peace Corps spends $56,000 per volunteer. Venture for America, the organization I started, spends about $30,000 per young entrepreneur.
The US military spends approximately $170,000 per soldier per year on salary, maintenance, housing, infrastructure, and the like. Setting up a structure for people is wildly expensive. Guaranteeing work would cost tens of thousands of additional
dollars for recruitment, training, and infrastructure before anyone even gets paid. You would also wind up creating very large organizations and bureaucracies. The Peace Corps has over 1,000 full-time employees supporting 7,200 volunteers, for example.
Source: The War on Normal People, by Andrew Yang, p.186-7
, Apr 2, 2019
Military spending on modern threats, not decades-old ones
Problems to be solved: - The military budget makes up 54% of all discretionary spending, much of which is focused on defending against threats from decades ago as opposed to the threats of 2020.
As President, I will...
- Invest in the treatment of veterans, and ensure that soldiers are treated with care and respect upon returning home by a system that recognizes them as assets and contributors.
- Identify areas where military spending is going to programs
that aren't making us safer in the context of modern warfare that can be eliminated or are redundant.
- Appoint a new Secretary of Cybersecurity to lead our efforts to secure our country's vital systems from cyberterrorism, which is one of the
leading threats to our ongoing prosperity.
- Invest heavily in counterproliferation efforts to identify and secure sources of weapons-grade nuclear material, including offering to buy such material for exorbitant prices.
Source: 2020 presidential campaign website Yang2020.com
, Mar 29, 2019
Invest in equipment for technical superiority
We need to build a military designed for the challenges of 2020, which are going to be determined as much by technical superiority and resilient systems as they are manpower and artillery. We have massive needs here at home that our
men and women of the military can help us meet that will also help them develop valuable skills. Whatever we do, we should be investing resources to adequately equip and care for our men and women in service and afterwards.
Source: 2020 presidential campaign website Yang2020.com
, Mar 29, 2019
Rechannel $60B per year from defense to infrastructure
As President, I will rechannel 10% of the military budget--approximately $60 billion per year--to a new domestic infrastructure force called the Legion of Builders and Destroyers. The Legion would be tasked with keeping our country strong by making sure
our bridges, roads, power grid, levies, dams, and infrastructure are up-to-date, sound and secure. It would also be able to clear derelict buildings and structures that cause urban blight in many of our communities and respond to natural disasters.
The Legion would prioritize projects based on national security, economic impact, and regional equity. Its independent budget would ensure that our infrastructure would be constantly upgraded regardless of the political climate.
The Commander of the Legion would have the ability to overrule local regulations and ordinances to ensure that projects are started and completed promptly and effectively.
Source: 2020 Presidential campaign website Yang2020.com
, Mar 29, 2019
Too much military spending focuses in decades-old threats
Yang promises to "bring our military spending under control," to "make it harder for the U.S. to get involved in foreign engagements with no clear goal," and to "reinvest in diplomacy."
He believes that much of the military budget "is focused on defending against threats from decades ago as opposed to the threats of 2020."
Source: Truthout.org, "War and Peace," on 2020 presidential hopefuls
, Mar 27, 2019
Page last updated: Apr 29, 2021