Rep. Rich McCormick Questions Defense Secretary on National Guard Deployment to LA

National Guard Deployment to Los Angeles

• 🎯 Rich McCormick questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth regarding the activation of the National Guard in California.
• ⚠️ The deployment was necessitated because California "didn't take care of its own," according to McCormick.
• ⚖️ McCormick proposed legislation to make states culpable for finances spent on National Guard activations when governors or local magistrates fail to manage their own problems.
• ✅ Hegseth stated that the President's action to deploy the National Guard was common sense, providing security when a governor and mayor will not protect federal law enforcement officers.

Military Ethos and Mission Focus

• 🇺🇸 McCormick praised the new military leadership for bringing the focus back to mission accomplishment and the ethos of the warrior.
• 🔬 He noted the scientific and mission-oriented approach to physical training, particularly impressed by the University of North Georgia's ROTC program.

Veteran Services Modernization

• 💻 McCormick shared a personal experience of needing to visit the DEERS office in person, highlighting the need to modernize veteran services to be more 21st-century friendly.
• 💡 He urged the leadership to look into making the experience more accessible, suggesting alternatives to in-person visits for tasks like proving a dependent is still in college.

Ukraine Conflict and Foreign Relations

• 🕊️ McCormick described the current president as one of the most peaceful, having avoided war and being good at foreign relations, citing the Abraham Accords.
• 💥 He noted that with US and European support, Ukrainian forces have decimated 50% of Russia's armor and caused about a million casualties.
• 🤝 The Department of Defense is prepared to support measures to affect the front line and negotiations, encouraging European allies to continue stepping up.