CONGRESSMAN BISHOP CONCERNED ABOUT UNJUSTIFIED FIRING OF TOP DEFENSE DEPARTMENT LEADERS

WASHINGTON – Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), a senior Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, issued the following statement regarding the firing of several top Defense Department officials on Friday, February 21, 2025:

“General C.Q. Brown has had a distinguished career as a warfighter. His professionalism is respected and admired by military servicemembers as well as Congress, and he was lauded by President Trump himself.

“His unjustified termination as Joint Chief along with those of Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff, General James Slife, and the Judge Advocates General for the Army, Navy, and Air Force, strips our country of its top warfighters and leaders at a time when the world threat environment is at a fever pitch, including in Russia, China, and the Middle East.

“This signals weakness to our adversaries and sends a chilling message to those serving in our military and will hamper our ability to recruit and retain the best and the brightest to defend our nation.

“Furthermore, this puts America’s national security in jeopardy, risks politicizing our military which has always been, and should always be, non-political, and places cronyism above merit, experience, and integrity.”

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