Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Tomorrow’s All-Senators Briefing Led By Secretaries Hegseth And Rubio And The Urgent Need For All Video Of The Boat Strikes Be Provided To Every Senator Without Delay
Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on the all-senators briefing tomorrow led by Secretaries Hegseth and Rubio regarding developments in the Caribbean and the September 2nd boat strikes, and the imminent need for all video of the strikes be provided to every senator. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:
Senators, tomorrow morning will attend a briefing by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the latest developments in the Caribbean, including getting to the bottom of what happened during the September 2nd boat strikes.
I have been calling on Secretary Rubio to provide an all-senators briefing on these important topics since October, and I'm pleased he has finally—finally—heeded our call. I expect him and Secretary Hegseth to come tomorrow prepared to answer tough questions from senators about what exactly is going on with our forces in the territory surrounding Venezuela.
The Senate also demands to see the full and unedited tapes showing what exactly happened during strikes on the alleged drug boat on September the 2nd.
Last week, I asked the Secretary of Defense point-blank if he would provide the video of the boat strikes to every Senator. A simple “yes” from Secretary Hegseth would have been sufficient, because frankly asking for the tapes is not a crazy request—it’s basic oversight, something Senators are certainly entitled to see. It’s part of our responsibility as senators.
But the Secretary hedged and said he needs more time to study this issue. More time? More time to study exactly what? It’s been three months! What the hell is there to study? What is there to study? I made this request to the Secretary a week ago. And to date he still has not provided access to all senators.
So ahead of tomorrow’s briefing, we need to be clear about one thing: every single member is entitled to see the full, unedited video of what happened during the series of strikes on September the 2nd. Anything less than full access for every Senator would be unacceptable. And if Secretary Hegseth continues to conceal the truth, then what exactly is he trying to hide? Maybe he needs more time to study what he should hide and what he shouldn’t hide. That would be totally wrong, inappropriate, and dishonest.
We also need immediate answers about what on Earth Donald Trump is planning to do with Venezuela. You get different answers all the time and no clear understanding by the American people of what he’s up to and what his goal is. How far he will go? Will he get us into an endless war?
We have thousands of troops and our largest aircraft carrier in the Caribbean—but zero, zero explanation for what Trump is trying to accomplish. Americans do not want our troops to get ensnared in another forever war. And the risk for war will only get worse the more belligerent Donald Trump acts off the coast of South America.
Just this weekend, a US Air Force tanker jet had a near midair collision with a JetBlue Airbus flying to the United States. The Air Force tanker reportedly did not have its transponder on and flew right through the Airbus’s flight path, forcing it to stop its climb to avoid a crash. A near miss.
The near-miss with this commercial flight should serve as a warning: all it takes is one accident, one moment of miscommunication with Venezuela, and things can spin out of control in an instant. That is exactly what the American people do not want to see. We have seen that happen in the past, that one incident can lead to an endless war.
So tomorrow, Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth owe senators some pretty big answers to some very important questions about what’s been happening in the Caribbean. What are their goals? What are their plans? What are their limits?
Anything less than full transparency and candor from the two Secretaries will be unacceptable to the Senate and to the American people.
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