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Tulsi Gabbard on Homeland Security

Democratic Presidential Challenger; HI Rep.

 


I will work to end this new Cold War

Donald Trump and warmongering politicians in Washington have failed us. They escalate tensions with other nuclear-armed countries, pushing us closer to the brink of nuclear catastrophe. I will end these wasteful regime change wars, work to end this new Cold War through the use of diplomacy to de-escalate these tensions and take the trillions of dollars that we've been wasting on these wars and weapons and redirect those resources into serving the needs of our people here at home.
Source: July Democratic Primary debate (second night in Detroit) , Jul 31, 2019

Served as Army Major for 16 years; deployed twice to Mideast

The American people deserve a president who will put your interests ahead of the rich and powerful. That's not what we have right now.

I enlisted in the Army National Guard after the Al Qaida terror attacks on 9/11 so I could go after those who had attacked us on that day. I still serve as a major. I served over 16 years, deployed twice to the Middle East, and in Congress served on the Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Affairs for over six years.

I know the importance of our national security, as well as the terribly high cost of war. And for too long, our leaders have failed us, taking us from one regime change war to the next, leading us into a new cold war and arms race, costing us trillions of our hard-earned taxpayer dollars and countless lives.

This insanity must end. As president, I will take your hard-earned taxpayer dollars and instead invest those dollars into serving your needs, things like health care, a green economy, good-paying jobs, and so much more.

Source: June Democratic Primary debate (first night in Miami) , Jun 26, 2019

Don't cut military budget; fund weapons systems & ABMs

Source: Truthout.org, "War and Peace," on 2020 presidential hopefuls , Mar 27, 2019

End this new cold war and nuclear arms race

Gabbard was asked Sunday to name the biggest policy mistake the United States had ever made. She pointed to the march toward what she warned could be "nuclear catastrophe."

She pointed to a cell phone alert -- which turned out to be a false alarm -- last year warning people in Hawaii to take shelter because a missile was incoming. She described residents of the state facing agonizing decisions about how to seek shelter and who to spend what they feared could be their last minutes with.

"This alert turned out to be false, but the reason we reacted the way we did is that the threat is real," Gabbard said. "Our leaders have failed us and brought us to this point. It doesn't have to be this way. We have to correct our course. We have to end this new cold war and nuclear arms race that is currently being waged that threatens our very future and that costs us trillions of our taxpayer dollars--dollars that need to be spent and invested to serve the needs of our people here at home."

Source: CNN KFile on 2019 SXSW conference in Austin , Mar 11, 2019

Allow transgender Americans in the military

Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls , Jan 14, 2019

Supports reducing defense spending.

Gabbard supports the PVS survey question on defense spending

Project Vote Smart infers candidate issue stances on key topics by summarizing public speeches and public statements. Congressional candidates are given the opportunity to respond in detail; about 11% did so in the 2012 races.

Project Vote Smart summarizes candidate stances on the following topic: 'Budget: In order to balance the budget, do you support reducing defense spending?'

Source: Project Vote Smart 12-PVS-q15 on Aug 30, 2012

Endorsed by VoteVets.org; against wasteful defense spending.

Gabbard is endorsed by VoteVets.org Endrosement

About VoteVets.org:
Founded in 2006, and backed by over 220,000 supporters, the mission of VoteVets.org is to use public issue campaigns and direct outreach to lawmakers to ensure that troops abroad have what they need to complete their missions, and receive the care they deserve when they get home. VoteVets.org also recognizes veterans as a vital part of the fabric of our country and will work to protect veterans' interests in their day-to-day lives. Statistics:

Issue Advocacy:
The nature of war is changing, and the needs of veterans in the 21st century are different than in past eras. To that end, VoteVets.org has successfully fought for the following:

Opposing argument: (ACLU, "Surveillance Reform After the USA Freedom Act", June 3, 2015): The USA Freedom Act that passed by a 67-32 margin is not as strong as we wanted. It is markedly weaker than the original version of the USA Freedom Act that the ACLU first supported in 2013. We supported a sunset of the provisions in an effort to advance more comprehensive reform, including rejecting surveillance through cybersecurity information-sharing legislation. Notwithstanding this, however, it is very clear that the USA Freedom Act is a historic step forward.

Opposing argument: (Cato Institute , "Cato scholars differ on USA Freedom Act", Oct., 2015): The privacy community remained divided over the USA Freedom Act. The final version of the bill reauthorized several expiring Patriot Act provisions, but limited bulk collection. Some legislators argued that to pass new legislation would only provide the government convenient new legal justification for its spying--which it would interpret broadly. On the opposite side of the argument stood some pro-privacy groups who held that modest reforms were better than no reforms at all.

Source: H.R.2048&S.2685 14-H2048 on Apr 28, 2015

End bulk data collection under USA PATRIOT Act.

Gabbard co-sponsored USA FREEDOM Act

Congressional summary:: Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ending Eavesdropping, Dragnet-collection, and Online Monitoring Act or the USA FREEDOM Act: