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Kamala Harris on Homeland SecurityDemocratic candidate for President (withdrawn); California Senator |
KAMAL HARRIS: I actually met with Zelenskyy a few days before Russia invaded. Days later I went to NATO's eastern flank, to Poland and Romania. And because of our support, because of the air defense, the ammunition, the artillery, the Javelins, the Abrams tanks that we have provided, Ukraine stands as an independent and free country. If Donald Trump were president, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now. And understand what that would mean. Because Putin's agenda is not just about Ukraine. Putin would be sitting in Kyiv with his eyes on the rest of Europe. Starting with Poland.
[Interviewer on CNN State of the Union]: "Do you think Trump can be trusted with this nation's secrets ever again?"
ESPER: "No. I mean, it's just irresponsible action that places our service members at risk, places our nation's security at risk.
NARRATOR: And the nation's highest-ranking military officer [former Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley]:
MILLEY: "We don't take an oath to a king, or a queen, or to a tyrant, or dictator. And we don't take an oath to a wannabe dictator."
NARRATOR: Take it from the people who knew him best. Donald Trump is a danger to our troops, and our democracy. We can't let him lead our country again."
HARRIS [with photo and "Harris-Walz" logo]: "I'm Kamala Harris and I approve this message."
To that end, today I am pleased to announce that the United States will provide more than one and a half billion dollars to address Ukraine's humanitarian and energy needs and to help relieve the suffering of the people of Ukraine. This number includes $824 million for critical energy needs, including repairing energy infrastructure; $379 million in humanitarian assistance, including food, water, shelter, and health services; and $300 million for civilian security assistance, including support for law enforcement. President Zelenskyy, this support is a demonstration of the indisputable fact the United States stands with the people of Ukraine.
"This playbook is all too familiar to us all," she said of the events unfolding near Ukraine's borders. "Russia will plead ignorance and innocence. It will create false pretexts for invasion, and it will amass troop and firepower in plain sight."
Ms. Harris argued in her speech that the crisis had driven NATO allies together. "As President Biden has said, our forces will not be deployed to fight inside Ukraine," she said, touching on--but not exploring--the decision to leave the fighting to Ukraine's own military. "But they will defend every inch of NATO territory."
SIX CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Tulsi Gabbard; Kirsten Gillibrand; Bernard Sanders; Eric Swalwell; Elizabeth Warren; Andrew Yang.
A sizable number of Democratic presidential candidates are doves with long track records of advocating deep cuts in the Pentagon budget in order to pay for what they consider more important domestic programs or diplomatic initiatives.
As Attorney General, Kamala formed a working group to fight scams and other predatory conduct uniquely targeting service members, and secured enhanced protections for active-duty and Veteran homeowners during the foreclosure crisis.
In the Senate, Kamala will champion a robust VA for our Veterans. She will fight to ensure that when Veterans leave military service, they have the support they need to readjust to civilian life, including proper physical and mental health care. It's unconscionable that 22 Veterans take their own lives each day.
Excerpts from Letter from 53 Senators to President Trump We are deeply troubled that your freeze on the hiring of federal civilian employees will have a negative and disproportionate impact on our nation`s veterans. As such, we urge you to take stock of this hiring freeze`s effect on our nation`s veterans and exempt the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from your Hiring Freeze.
Opposing argument: (Heritage Foundation, `Eliminate Redundant Government Hiring,` May 9, 2017): It`s not hard to find federal programs that are duplicative or ineffective. The president`s executive order requires all agency heads to submit plans for reorganizing their operations. Their proposals are to `include recommendations to eliminate unnecessary agencies and programs.` That all sounds great, but what does it actually mean?
Well, for starters, it means the previous federal hiring freeze is no more. But it doesn`t mean programs and departments are free to hire willy-nilly. Instead, they`ve been instructed to follow a smart-hiring plan, consistent with the President`s America First Budget Blueprint.
A few agencies, like the Defense Department and Veterans Affairs, will beef up staff. Most, however, will have to pare down employment. All federal employees can expect to see resources shift to higher-priority ones. Many may be asked to do something new or different with the goal of optimizing employees` skills and time.