Sen. Mark Kelly says Biden impeachment talks are 'a distraction and a waste of time'

Transcript

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

Congress is back in session this week with a full plate for lawmakers - a budget impasse and a possible government shutdown, a hold on the promotions of top Pentagon brass and, just yesterday, an announcement that the House will start impeachment proceedings against President Biden. Senator Mark Kelly is a Democrat from Arizona who serves on the Armed Services Committee. Senator, welcome to the show.

MARK KELLY: Thank you, and good morning.

MARTÍNEZ: Now, Kevin McCarthy says that President Biden lied about his family's business dealings and should be impeached. What do you make of that?

KELLY: Well, this isn't, you know, serious. I mean, there is not a shred of evidence to, you know, justify it. That's why they couldn't hold a vote. That's why my Republican colleagues in the United States Senate have said that they don't see any evidence.

MARTÍNEZ: Is there anything you're hearing from House colleagues that could possibly justify this?

KELLY: No. I haven't - not a single one has reached out. And it's because this is not a serious inquiry here. The thing they should be focused on is the fact that government funding is going to expire in a couple weeks. We've got a war going on in Ukraine. We have to defeat Putin. You were, you know, just talking about the North Korean leader being in Russia. I mean, there's a lot of stuff we should be focused on - lowering costs for Americans, creating good-paying jobs. There's a lot on our agenda. And at the top of the list is keeping the government open. And this is a distraction and a waste of time.

MARTÍNEZ: Do you think the House can do both at the same time, start impeachment proceedings and try and get the government not to shut down?

KELLY: You mean doing two things at once?

MARTÍNEZ: Yeah.

KELLY: Yeah. Have you seen Congress do that historically? You know, I've been in the United States Senate now for 2 1/2 years, and I got to say - not speaking for the House, but for the Senate - I've never seen an organization with rules that make it really difficult to get things done. If - I spent 15 years at NASA flying the space shuttle. If NASA had the rules of the United States Senate, the rocket ship would never leave the launchpad.

MARTÍNEZ: All right. Let's turn to that, actually, the U.S. military. You served 25 years, as you mentioned, as a NASA astronaut, in the Navy as well. Your Republican colleague in the Senate Tommy Tuberville is holding up promotions for hundreds of generals and admirals, including the confirmation of a new Joint Chiefs chair, because he opposes the military's reimbursement for travel by military personnel seeking reproductive care. And that includes abortions. Here's the senator.

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TOMMY TUBERVILLE: We need to get politics out of the military. It has no place in the place that keeps this country and our allies safe.

MARTÍNEZ: Senator Tuberville says that the U.S. Senate could still confirm positions by a floor vote. So, Senator Kelly, why not go that route considering this holdup has been going on for over six months?

KELLY: Well, the reason is, under the rules of the Senate, these take a long time, upwards of a week each. We have - we're now up to about 301 service members - that their promotions are on hold. What Senator Tuberville is doing is unprecedented. I mean, it's significantly harming our national security. And it's not just about them. I mean, it's not just about the service members. This is also about their families. And these are serious jobs. We're talking about the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chief of staff of the Air Force, the commandant of the Marine Corps - yesterday, had the first woman who's going to lead the United States Navy, of which I served in for 25 years. She's going to be stuck doing two jobs at once. And as the chief of naval operations, she'll be acting, which means she can't make the most significant decisions for the future of our Navy.

MARTÍNEZ: But wouldn't it be better to confirm slowly - very slowly than not at all?

KELLY: Well, I think for some positions - you know, we unfortunately, because of Senator Tuberville and what he is doing - of course, we're going to have to look at this.

MARTÍNEZ: So how does this get resolved?

KELLY: The best way to resolve it is for Senator Tuberville to release this hold. It's as simple as that. I mean, it takes, you know, one phone call, not even by him, by his - you know, somebody on his team, and this is - you know, this is over. You know, serving in the military's, you know, really hard. And what he is doing is just - he either doesn't understand or doesn't care about the damage that he's doing to our armed forces. And it's unconscionable.

MARTÍNEZ: That's United States Senator Mark Kelly, Democrat from Arizona. Senator, thank you.

KELLY: Thank you.

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