-9999

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the confirmation of Dr. Lester Martinez-Lopez to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, or ASDHA.

The Defense Department is responsible for the health and welfare of over 1.3 million Americans who are entrusted with protecting our Nation. In order to ensure they get the care they need and deserve, the DOD must have an Assistant Secretary of Defense in place to lead their health affairs.

This position is the principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense for all health and force health protection policies, programs, activities, and the Integrated Disability Evaluation System. The ASDHA is responsible for the execution of the DOD medical mission, to provide and maintain physical and mental health readiness for medical services and support to members of the military services, their families, and those held in the control of the military services.

Dr. Martinez-Lopez is eminently qualified for the position and has an impressive history of public service. Dr. Martinez-Lopez graduated from medical school in 1978. He retired from the U.S. Army as a major general and was the first Latino to head the Army Medical Research and Materiel Command at Fort Detrick, MD. He is the former director of the Army's worldwide medical research, acquisition, and logistics program, overseeing a vast research portfolio that included cancer, trauma, infectious diseases, aviation medicine, and telemedicine research.

Dr. Martinez-Lopez also directed the premier national biological and chemical defense laboratories and research program and led the development of the National Biodefense Campus at Fort Detrick.

He served as the commanding general of the Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, where he directed a worldwide public health organization and was responsible for preventive medicine, health promotion and wellness, global medical surveillance, occupational and environmental health, and health risk communication.

Dr. Martinez-Lopez has an extensive military and medical background that makes him eminently qualified to fill this critically important role. But Republican obstruction has left us without a confirmed Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs for nearly a year, endangering the health of our servicemembers and the safety of our Nation.

Unfortunately, Dr. Lopez is not the only critically important civilian DOD nominee Senate Republicans are blocking. Just yesterday, Chairman Reed came to the floor to ask for unanimous consent on the nominees to serve as inspector general of DOD, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

This unprecedented obstruction must end, and we must fill these important positions, including Dr. Martinez-Lopez, as quickly as possible.

I urge my colleagues to confirm this nominee.

779, Lester Martinez-Lopez, of Florida, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; and that any statements related to the nomination be printed in the Record.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, very briefly, the fact that my colleague is objecting to the consequences of not adhering to the requirement for vaccination is not within the purview of Dr. Lester Martinez-Lopez. So, therefore, their objection as to this particular nominee is misplaced and, in my view, irrelevant.

I again call on my colleagues to enable this nominee to come forward under unanimous consent.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source