PROCESS WAS DELAYED BY THE
GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
WAS IN 2000 DUE TO THE FLORIDA
RECOUNT.
THE 9/11 COMMISSION IDENTIFIED
THE ABBREVIATED TRANSITION TIME
AS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THE
U.S. BEING UNPREPARED FOR THE
ATTACK.
THE 9/11 REPORT INCLUDED IN ITS
RECOMMENDATIONS SINCE A
CATASTROPHIC ATTACK COULD OCCUR
WITH LITTLE OR NO NOTICE, WE
SHOULD MINIMIZE AS MUCH AS
POSSIBLE THE DISRUPTION OF
NATIONAL SECURITY POLICYMAKING
DURING THE CHANGE OF
ADMINISTRATIONS BY ACCELERATING
THE PROCESS FOR NATIONAL
SECURITY APPOINTMENTS.
WE THINK THE PROCESS COULD BE
IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY SO
TRANSITIONS CAN WORK MORE
EFFECTIVELY AND ALLOW NEW
OFFICIALS TO ASSUME THEIR NEW
RESPONSIBILITIES AS QUICKLY AS
POSSIBLE.
THE OUTGOING ADMINISTRATION
SHOULD PROVIDE THE
PRESIDENT-ELECT AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE AFTER ELECTION DAY WITH
A CLASSIFIED, COMPARTMENTED LIST
THAT CATALOGS SPECIFIC
OPERATIONAL THREATS TO NATIONAL
SECURITY.
MAJOR MILITARY OR COVERT
OPERATIONS AND PENDING DECISIONS
ON THE POSSIBLE USE OF FORCE.
AND, WILLIE, JUST KEEP IN MIND,
NOT ONLY THAT HOLDING BACK ON
ALLOWING A TRANSITION TO BEGIN
BUT CHANGING KEY JOBS IN STATE
AND THE PENTAGON?
>> YEAH.
EASY SPECIALLY AT THE PENTAGON.
LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVELY
DECAPITATED THERE AS OF NOW.
TURN TO THE ARMED FORCES CHRISSY
HOULAHAN OF PENNSYLVANIA, AN AIR
FORCE VETERAN ONE OF ONLY FOUR
SERVICE WOMEN CURRENTLY SERVING
IN THE HOUSE.
CONGRESSWOMAN, IT’S GREAT TO
HAVE YOU HERE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE
ALWAYS, BUT ESPECIALLY ON THIS
VETERANS DAY AND WE WANT TO TALK
SPECIFICALLY ABOUT VETERANS IN A
MOMENT, BUT AS SOMEONE WHO SITS
ON ARMED SERVICES AND FOREIGN
AFFAIRS, WHAT IS YOUR LEVEL OF
CONCERN WHAT MIKA TALKED US
THROUGH THAT THIS TRANSITION
ISN’T BEING CARRIED OUT AS
TRADITIONALLY IT HAS BEEN AND
THE BIDEN TEAM MAY NOT BE
RECEIVING THE BRIEFINGS AS HE
ENTERS OFFICE?
>> I THINK THAT MIKA AND THE
REPORT SUMMED IT UP PRETTY WELL
IN TERMS HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS
AS A VETERAN AND A MEMBER OF THE
ARMED SERVICES AND FOREIGN
AFFAIRS COMMITTEE.
THIS POTENTIAL EXPOSURE OF OUR
NATIONAL SECURITY ABOUT RAT IS
ATIS
-- APPARATUS AT THIS
TRANSITIONAL PERIOD IS VERY,
VERY WORRISOME AND EXACTLY,
FRANKLY, THE KIND OF THING
ACTIVE DUTY MEMBERS BROUGHT UP
TO ME, VETERANS BROUGHT UP TO
ME, EXACTLY THE REASONS THEY
WANTED TO SEE A TRANSITION OF
POWER FROM THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION TO THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION, BECAUSE THEY
REALLY FELT AS THOUGH, AND I DO
AS WELL, WE ARE PLAYING IN FIRE
IN A LOT OF WAYS CONTINUALLY
PLAYING A SHELL GAME OF WHO’S IN
WHAT SEAT?
AND THAT’S VERY, VERY WORRISOME.
I WOULD LIKE TO SAY I’M
SURPRISED BY THE FIRING OF
SECRETARY ESPER, IN FACT THIS IS
A SCENARIO MANY OF OUR
COLLEAGUES, MYSELF INCLUDED,
TALKED ABOUT FOR MONTHS AND
MONTHS LEADING UP TO THIS
ELECTION.
>> SOME PEOPLE WHO WILL SAY,
CONGRESSWOMAN, WELL, IT’S JUST
FOR ABOUT 68, 69 MORE DAYS.
HOW MUCH DAMP COULDAGE COULD THE
WHAT’S YOUR RESPONSE TO PEOPLE
PUT IN REALLY IMPORTANT SEATS
WITH REALLY IMPORTANT ACCESS TO
CLASSIFIED INFORMATION AND
INTELLIGENCE?
>> WELL, I WOULD ASK PEOPLE WHO
MAY BE COME FROM OTHER SECTOR
MAYBE THE CIVILIAN SECTOR OR THE
EDUCATION SECTOR TO PUT THEIR
BRAINS WHAT IT MEANS TO TAKE THE
HEAD OF AN ORGANIZATION.
LITERALLY DECAPITATE AN
ORGANIZATION.
IT’S A DANGEROUS MOVE WITHOUT
VERY EVIDENT KIND OF
TRANSITIONAL PLANNING AND
DOESN’T SEEM AS THOUGH THERE’S
EVIDENT TRANSITIONAL PLANNING
AND EVEN IF THERE IS THAT WOULD
BE TEMPORARY WE KNOW BECAUSE THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WOULD MOVE
FORWARD WITH THEIR CHOICES.
THIS IS AT BEST AN UNNECESSARILY
MUSICAL CHAIRS EFFORT AND AS
WORST AS WE TALKED ABOUT, AN
INCREDIBLE VULNERABILITY TO OUR
NATIONAL SECURITY.
>> WHAT PRESSURE, CONGRESSWOMAN,
CAN YOU AND OTHERS PUT ON AN
ORGANIZATION LIKE THE GSA, FOR
EXAMPLE, TO FREE UP THAT MONEY
AND PUSH FORWARD THIS TRANSITION
SO AT THE VERY LEAST DESPITE
WHO’S IN POWER RIGHT NOW AT THE
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE THE BIDEN
CAMPAIGN, THE BIDEN TRANSITION,
EXCUSE ME, CAN GET MOVING HERE
TO HAVE AN ORDERLY TRANSITION?
>> IT’S FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK
THAT QUESTION, BECAUSE MY TEAM
AND I JUST YESTERDAY WERE
WORKING ON WHAT LEVERS WE HAVE
TO PRESSURE THE GSA TO DO THE
RIGHT THING HERE.
AND THE REALITY IS THE GSA IS
NOT BEHOLDEN TO THE PRESIDENT TO
GO AHEAD AND PUSH THE LEVERS TO
RELEASE THE FUNDING TO ALLOW
PEOPLE ACCESS TO SKIFFS AND
CLASSIFIED INFORMATION AND
BRIEFINGS.
THOSE ARE THE THINGS THEY ARE
ALLOWED TO DO WITHOUT PERMISSION
FROM THIS ADMINISTRATION AND
THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS WE
AS A CONGRESS CAN DO.
SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS
THAT WE CAN DO IN THE CONGRESS.
>> LET’S HOPE THAT MOVES
FORWARD.
I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT
VETERANS DAY.
YOU GREW UP ON NAVAL BASES AS I
UNDERSTAND IT.
YOUR GRANDPARENTS ARE BURIED AT
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY.
WHAT IS IN FRONT OF US RIGHT NOW
WITH VETERANS?
SO MUCH OF THE LAST FOUR YEARS
HAVE BEEN CONSUMED BY THE DAILY
SCANDAL AND CONTROVERSIES AROUND
PRESIDENT TRUMP THAT I THINK IN
SOME WAYS WE HAVE LOST SIGHTS OF
THE STRUGGLES THAT SOME OF OUR
VETERANS ARE GOING THROUGH.
YOU HAVE NOT THOUGH.
YOU JUST PUT FORTH A BILL THAT
CONFRONTS THE PROBLEMS OF
VETERAN SUICIDE, WHICH REMAINS
FRONT AND CENTER.
WHAT SHOULD WE BE THINKING ABOUT
ON THIS VETERANS DAY?
>> I WAS RAISED THAT YOUR
ANNIVERSARY SHOULDN’T BE
CELEBRATED BUT YOU SHOULD DO IT
EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR.
OF COURSE, WE SHOULD TAKE A
PAUSE TO HONOR OUR VETERANS AND
SERVICE MEMBERS, BUT WE SHOULD
ALSO BE DOING THAT EVERY SINGLE
DAY WITH OUR ACTIONS.
SO IN CONGRESS, EVEN THOUGH THIS
PRESIDENCY HAS BEEN DISTRACTING,
WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MOVE
FORWARD ON THESE ISSUES, AS YOU
TALKED ABOUT, THE ISSUES OF
VETERAN SUICIDE, WENT TO THE
PRESIDENT’S DESK FOR SIGNATURE,
I STARTED AND HELPED START THE
SERVICE WOMEN’S CAUCUS.
THERE ARE VERY, VERY FEW MEMBERS
OF CONGRESS WHO HAVE SERVED FULL
STOP, BUT FEWER WHO ARE WOMEN.
BUT WE COMPRISE ABOUT 20% OF THE
MILITARY RIGHT NOW AND GROWING.
AND SO THOSE ARE THE -- WE CAN
START WORKING ON MAKING SURE WE
ARE TAKING CARE OF SERVICE