Hawaii's Brian Schatz lays into Josh Hawley on Senate floor: 'Completely ridiculous'
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) has had it up to here with Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.).
In a fiery floor speech on Thursday, Schatz went after Hawley for vowing to block all Defense Department nominees until there was "a change" in broader foreign policy, Politico and Mediaite report.
For context, Hawley announced in September he'd be placing holds on civilian nominees to the departments of Defense and State until their respective secretaries — Lloyd Austin and Antony Blinken — resigned, per Mediaite.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
And on Thursday, after blocking nominee Christopher Lowman — President Biden's pick for assistant secretary for sustainment — Hawley claimed U.S. foreign policy has a "Joe Biden problem," and vowed to continue holding nominees "until there is accountability, until we have a change in policy," per Politico.
But Schatz wasn't buying the (what he called) "completely ridiculous" and "preposterous" revolt.
The Missouri congressman is "damaging the Department of Defense," Schatz said in his Thursday tirade. "And this comes from a guy who raised his fist in solidarity with the insurrectionists. ... This comes from a guy who just about a month ago voted against Ukraine aid!"
"He's saying it's going too slow. He voted 'no'!" Schatz continued. "He voted 'no' on Ukraine aid and now he has the gall to say it's going too slow!"
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
"And this final insult is that until, what, Secretary Austin resigns? That's not a serious request," Schatz went on.
The Hawaii lawmaker would rather Hawley "spare me the new solidarity with the Ukrainians and with the free world" because his record "is exactly the opposite," Schatz concluded.
Watch the full moment:
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Sean Bean brings ‘charisma’ and warmth to Get BirdingThe Week Recommends Surprise new host of RSPB’s birdwatching podcast is a hit
-
Film reviews: ‘Send Help’ and ‘Private Life’Feature An office doormat is stranded alone with her awful boss and a frazzled therapist turns amateur murder investigator
-
Movies to watch in Februarythe week recommends Time travelers, multiverse hoppers and an Iraqi parable highlight this month’s offerings during the depths of winter
-
Will Peter Mandelson and Andrew testify to US Congress?Today's Big Question Could political pressure overcome legal obstacles and force either man to give evidence over their relationship with Jeffrey Epstein?
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
Can anyone stop Donald Trump?Today's Big Question US president ‘no longer cares what anybody thinks’ so how to counter his global strongman stance?
