Illinois senator on National Guard in Chicago and fitness standards in the military
WASHINGTON (CBS, KYMA) - Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) spoke with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation Sunday about the National Guard in Chicago.
"I believe they're going to be Illinois National Guardsmen. So, they're not going to be coming from out of state. I spoke with our governor yesterday, and it looks like it's going to be about 300 Illinois Guardsmen who will be activated against the governor's wishes. So they'll be they'll be homegrown Illinoisans, and they're our brothers and sisters, our neighbors. I probably served with quite a number of them, certainly the leadership. And, you know, they'll be home. We'll welcome them. It's a misuse of the National Guard. They're not needed in this particular role. If President Trump really wanted to fight crime, then maybe he should stop defunding the police he, you know, he diverted $800 million in crime prevention efforts away...that was appropriated away from funding for our police officers. So, you know, they're not needed, but we're going to welcome them, because they're our brothers and sisters, and we're proud of our National Guard."
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.)
During the interview, Brennan and Senator Duckworth talked about Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth telling senior military officials that he doesn't want to prevent women from serving in the military, but he's now requiring everyone to meet the male standard.
When asked how Duckworth, who served in the military for 23 years, and women serving in the military heard those remarks, she said:
"This is the least qualified Secretary of Defense in our nation's history, and he's questioning the ability of the women who actually qualify to do their jobs. The female Rangers, the female that graduated from seal school, have met those highest standards. And, by the way, he is obfuscating a little bit because there are different male standards. The standard for 45-year-old man is not the same as an 18-year-old man. So he doesn't actually talk about that. He has long sought to push women out of the military. And, frankly, our military could not do its job of protecting America and keeping us safe without the women who serve in the military. If you look at some lessons we learned in Afghanistan, for example, the lionesses, the Marine Corps group of women who actually went on patrol, all-female units that actually was able to get intelligence from Afghani women to get information on the enemy. Frankly, you've got a least qualified secretary of defense in the nation's history who wastes taxpayer dollars on a regular basis doing things like bringing in general and flag officers to be an audience for his dog and pony show, using them as little toy soldiers when they should be out there at your units in command, doing their jobs."
To watch more of Brennan's interview with Duckworth, click here.
