Rep. Jill Tokuda Accuses GOP of Protecting Accused Predator in NDAA Debate

Accusations of Partisan Politics in NDAA

• 🎯 Rep. Jill Tokuda criticizes Republicans for turning the NDAA into a partisan bill, stripping away balance and accountability through a closed process.
• 🚫 Ten of her proposed amendments, aimed at addressing issues like the National Guard, Pentagon purges, and military force abroad, were not made in order for debate.

Rejected Amendments on Predators and Veterans

• 💔 Tokuda offered an amendment to disinter Dr. Robert McCormick Brown, accused of abusing students, from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, but it was rejected.
• 💰 Amendments to suspend commissary debit card fees for veterans and eliminate medical co-pays for Native Hawaiian veterans were also blocked by Republicans.

Housing and National Security Concerns

• 🏠 An amendment to increase investment in barracks for unaccompanied service members and set maintenance standards was denied, despite issues like black mold and broken plumbing.
• 🇨🇳 Amendments concerning the export of advanced AI chips to Beijing and increasing the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative cap were also blocked.

Blocked Amendments and Democratic Process

• ⚖️ Other common-sense amendments, such as prohibiting the deportation of veterans without due process and clarifying the National Guard's role, were also blocked.
• 🗣️ Tokuda emphasizes that in a democracy, debate and voting allow the public to see where representatives stand, contrasting this with a closed, "detocracy" where dissent is silenced.

Call for Democratic Principles

• 🤝 Tokuda argues that shutting down debate is a betrayal of oaths and a disservice to service members, veterans, and their families.
• ✨ She calls for a return to democratic principles, emphasizing that a better way exists which begins with the choice to engage in open debate.