By Brian Maryott
A wise man once said, “show me your friends, and I will show you your future.” As a young man, I heard this saying many times from my mother; and now, as a father, I use this phrase with my children. The message is clear- the people you align yourself with will influence your thought process and decision making, for better or for worse.
My opponent, Congressman Mike Levin, made quick work of aligning himself with like-minded politicians after taking office in 2018. Ideologically, Mike Levin is one California’s of the most liberal freshman members of Congress. He immediately announced his membership in the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), a caucus that includes “Democratic Socialists” such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Bernie Sanders.
The CPC constantly grabs headlines for proposing some of the most radical legislation being debated in Congress including the Green New Deal, government-run healthcare, and abolishing federal immigration enforcement. These extreme proposals are clearly naive and unrealistic, as well as deeply unpopular with the American electorate.
Worse still, the CPC has made their view on the American military excruciatingly clear — it is a force for American imperialism, and therefore its role in our country should be reduced as quickly as possible. I could not disagree with this belief more strongly.
Levin sits on the House Veterans Affairs Committee (HVAC), directly responsible for passing legislation to aid our Veterans. I commend Mike Levin and HVAC for the legislation that passed to address Veteran homelessness. However, a simple review of Mike Levin’s voting record and rhetoric paints a much clearer (and darker) picture of his stance on the military.
When President Trump took swift action to eliminate Iranian General Soleimani — an enemy responsible for the death of hundreds of American troops — Mike Levin tweeted: “We are not safer as a result of this administration’s recklessness. We have avoided war with Iran, at least for now. But it is a conflict Trump has made much worse.” Levin’s comments couldn’t be further from the truth; the United States is objectively safer with Soleimani gone.
In 2019, Mike Levin sponsored H.R. 1384, a piece of legislation that would establish government-run healthcare. Rep. Levin’s bill eliminates TRICARE over a two-year period. At that point those that have served our country the longest — our retired military — would be forced onto the exact same government-run system with the exact same status as immigrants who are here in the U.S. illegally.
Those who sacrificed so much for our freedom deserve the gold standard in healthcare. Why would Mike Levin want to completely destroy healthcare related peace of mind for our retired military?
I am also disappointed that our freshman Representative has allowed politics and progressive fantasies about “reimagining policing” to cloud his judgement on which Veterans he most supports. Mike made a very strong statement about the need to save the USPS in part because 18% of the USPS workforce is comprised of Veterans. However, nearly 20% of our police officers nationwide bravely served our country before now serving their communities – and when the riots started, Mike wasted no time voting to strip these officers and their families of the protection of the same Qualified Immunity standard that he and I enjoy as elected officials.
The original text of AOC’s Green New Deal called for the military budget to be cut in HALF. While that version was quickly scrubbed, it showed the original intent of the bill’s advocates, including Levin. Ilhan Omar, whip of the CPC, has minimized the evil that our military stands against when she referred to the 9/11 attacks as, “some people did something”. The patriarch of the far-left movement and one of Levin’s proudest endorsements, Bernie Sanders, has repeatedly called for major reductions in funding for our military, and he did so at a time when our men and women were deployed in multiple theaters – and stretched to the limit in so many ways. I believe Mike’s refusal to disavow the rhetoric of the AOCs, Bernies, and Ilhan Omars of the world is telling.
I am honored to be the Republican candidate for Congress here in California’s 49th district. We are home to one of the largest military bases in the nation, Marine Base Camp Pendleton. My intentions behind writing this op ed are not to disparage Mike Levin, but to highlight the general hypocrisy that should concern anyone in the military community. As your Congressman, I will be a steadfast advocate for the interests of our military community, ensuring that we continue to lead from a position of strength abroad, while providing our troops with the best opportunities our country has to offer here at home. https://maryottforcongress.com/latestnews
