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Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016/Military and veterans

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Hillary Clinton announced her presidential run on April 12, 2015.[1]



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Hillary Clinton
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This page was current as of the 2016 election.
The overview of the issue below was current as of the 2016 election.
Defense spending was a frequent topic on the 2016 presidential campaign trail. In 2015, the U.S. military budget dipped from $610 billion to $601 billion. Despite the drop, the 2015 military budget was nearly six times larger than the education budget and more than seven times the budget for federal transportation. In 2015, 54 percent of all federal discretionary spending was allocated to the military.[2] On the world stage, the U.S. in 2016 spent more on military and defense than the next six highest spending countries combined.[3]

In polls conducted in February 2016, 35 percent of Americans said the U.S. should increase spending on defense and 40 percent said the U.S. was spending "about the right amount" on defense. Less than 25 percent of Americans said defense spending should be cut. Nearly two-thirds of Republicans said the U.S. spends too little on defense compared to 20 percent of Democrats. From 2013 to 2016, the number of Republicans favoring increased defense spending increased by 24 percent.[4]

See what Hillary Clinton and the 2016 Democratic Platform said about the military and veterans below.

Democratic Party Clinton on the military and veterans

  • On September 7, 2016, the Clinton campaign released a list of 95 retired generals and admirals who supported Hillary Clinton's candidacy. Retired Gen. Lloyd “Fig” Newton, who joined the list of Clinton’s supporters, said in a statement, “Growing up in South Carolina, respect for individual liberties and the right for every person to vote was taught to me at an early age and it is of the utmost importance to me today. These fundamental rights are why I served and care so deeply about our great nation. Given the challenges we face around the world today, and the rhetoric we are hearing from some at home, I feel I have a moral imperative to come forth and endorse Secretary Hillary Clinton for President.”[5]
  • Clinton participated in a forum hosted by Matt Lauer on NBC News focused on national security, military action, and foreign policy on September 7, 2016. She made the following comments about the Veterans Administration and use of military force:[6]
    • On the quality of services for veterans, Clinton said, “Look, I was outraged by the stories that came out about the V.A. And I have been very clear about the necessity for doing whatever is required to move the V.A. into the 21st century, to provide the kind of treatment options that our veterans today desperately need and deserve. And that’s what I will do as president. But I will not let the V.A. be privatized. And I do think there is an agenda out there, supported by my opponent, to do just that. I think that would be very disastrous for our military veterans.”
    • On whether to deploy troops to combat ISIS, Clinton said, “We’re going to work to make sure that they have the support — they have special forces, as you know, they have enablers, they have surveillance, intelligence, reconnaissance help. They are not going to get ground troops. We are not putting ground troops into Iraq ever again. And we’re not putting ground troops into Syria. We’re going to defeat ISIS without committing American ground troops. So those are the kinds of decisions we have to make on a case-by-case basis.”
  • On May 31, 2016, Clinton released her 23-point “Military Families Agenda,” which included a proposal to allow service members “to more easily switch between active-duty, National Guard and reserve service;” greater flexibility in duty assignments for married members of the military; making permanent the Career Intermission Program; improving education for military children; and increasing access to childcare. Her agenda noted, “It is little wonder that service members’ concern for their family’s well-being is a top consideration in whether troops stay in or leave the force.”[7][8]
  • Clinton pointed to her 2002 vote to authorize military force in Iraq as her “greatest regret” during a town hall on April 21, 2016. “It did not turn out the way I thought it would based on what [President George W. Bush] had said, and I regret that. I’ve said it was a mistake and it’s something I wish hadn’t turned out the way it did,” she said.[9]
  • During the fifth Democratic primary debate on February 4, 2016, Clinton discussed reforming the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): “Well, first of all, I’m absolutely against privatizing the V.A. And I am going do everything I can to build on the reforms that Senator Sanders and others in Congress have passed to try to fix what’s wrong with the V.A. There are a lot of issues about wait times and services that have to be fixed because our veterans deserve nothing but the best. But you’re absolutely right, you know, Rachel, this is another part of the Koch brothers agenda. They’ve actually formed an organization to try to begin to convince Americans we should no longer have guaranteed health care, specialized care for our veterans. I will fight that as hard as I can. I think there’s where we can enlist the veterans service organizations, the veterans of America, because, yes, let’s fix the V.A., but we will never let it be privatized, and that is a promise.”[10]
  • At an event in Derry, N.H., on November 10, 2015, Clinton rolled out a plan to overhaul the delivery of health care to veterans, and pledged to make the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) more accountable and improve conditions for active military personnel. She promised to fight “as long and hard as it takes” against any Republican effort to fully privatize the VA, but said she would allow the agency to contract with the private sector for some “specialty” surgical services, according to WMUR. Clinton’s initiative came two weeks after she was sharply criticized by U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), and others for saying that issues facing veterans were “not as widespread” as Republicans had contended. A Clinton spokesman later said that Clinton believed there were “systemic” problems at the VA that need to be addressed, WMUR.com reported.[11]
  • During an interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on October 23, 2015, Clinton said that issues with the care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs were not as “widespread” as the media had reported. “Now nobody would believe that from the coverage you see, and the constant berating of the VA that comes from the Republicans, in – in part in pursuit of this ideological agenda that they have,” Clinton added.[12]
  • Michael Crowley of TIME wrote that a 2014 memoir by former Defense Secretary Robert Gates was "just the latest evidence, along with previous reporting and original interviews with current and former Obama officials, of the strikingly hawkish voice Clinton offered during Obama Situation Room debates."[13]

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Hillary Clinton military veterans. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016/Military and veterans - Google News

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ CNN, "Hillary Clinton launches second presidential bid," April 12, 2015
  2. ↑ National Priorities Project, "Military Spending in the United States," accessed September 12, 2016
  3. ↑ Business Insider, "These charts show the immensity of the US' defense budget," August 31, 2015
  4. ↑ Gallup, "Americans Less Likely to See U.S. as No. 1 Militarily," February 15, 2016
  5. ↑ Hillary for America, "Ninety-Five Retired Generals and Admirals Endorse Hillary Clinton," September 7, 2016
  6. ↑ TIME, "Read Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump’s Remarks at a Military Forum," September 7, 2016
  7. ↑ Military Times, "Clinton's plan for military families: More leave flexibility, easier move schedules," June 1, 2016
  8. ↑ The Virginian-Pilot, "Hillary Clinton rolls out plans to assist military families," June 1, 2016
  9. ↑ The Huffington Post, "Hillary Clinton Reveals Her ‘Greatest Regret’," April 21, 2016
  10. ↑ The New York Times, "Transcript of the Democratic Presidential Debate," February 5, 2016
  11. ↑ WMUR.com, "Clinton rolls out vets plan, promises to fight full-fledged privatization of VA," November 10, 2015
  12. ↑ The Hill, "Clinton: Veterans Affairs scandal not a ‘widespread’ problem'," October 24, 2015
  13. ↑ Time, “Hillary Clinton’s Unapologetically Hawkish Record Faces 2016 Test," January 14, 2014
  14. ↑ New York Times, “Hillary’s War," May 29, 2007
  15. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  16. ↑ Democratic Party, "The 2016 Democratic Party Platform," accessed August 24, 2016
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Democratic: April 14, 2016 (CNN) • March 9, 2016 (Univision) • March 6, 2016 (CNN) • February 11, 2016 (PBS) • February 4, 2016 (MSNBC) • January 17, 2016 (NBC) • December 19, 2015 (ABC) • November 14, 2015 (CBS) • October 13, 2015 (CNN)
Republican: March 10, 2016 (CNN) • March 3, 2016 (FNC) • February 25, 2016 (CNN) • February 13, 2016 (CBS) • February 6, 2016 (ABC) • January 28, 2016 (FNC) • January 14, 2016 (FBN) • December 15, 2015 (CNN) • November 10, 2015 (FBN) • October 28, 2015 (CNBC) • September 16, 2015 (CNN)

Insiders Poll: First Democratic debate (October 13, 2015) • Presidential Nominating Index: Clinton remains choice of Democratic Insiders • Presidential Nominating Index: Bush remains choice of Republican Insiders • Insiders Poll: Winners and losers from the Fox News Republican Debate


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