WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) spoke with Adam Telle, President Trump’s nominee to be Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, and Richard Anderson, President Trump’s nominee to be Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs during their Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) confirmation hearing. Sen. Tuberville spoke with Mr. Telle about how the Army Corps of Engineers can improve dams and waterways in Alabama so that businesses can continue utilizing them to efficiently transport goods. Sen. Tuberville spoke with Mr. Anderson about improving morale in the Air Force, and how he will support President Trump and Secretary Hegseth’s mission for the Air Force Academy, if confirmed.
Read Sen. Tuberville’s remarks below or watch on YouTube or Rumble.
ON ADDRESSING ALABAMA’S WATER INFRASTRUCTURE:
TUBERVILLE: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning, gentlemen. Mr. Telle, I enjoyed visiting you in my office, recently, about Alabama’s inland waterways. And last year, we had three of our locks fail in one year. That’s unacceptable.
Our waterways infrastructure is operating past [its] expected lifespan and will continue to break. We’re having huge problems. Businesses depend upon our waterways to move goods, all the way down to the Port Mobile. What’s your plan to cut bureaucratic red tape and rapidly repair critical infrastructure across the system? Even though we just passed—a couple years ago—trillions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure money. We didn’t see any of that.”
TELLE: “Senator Tuberville, thank you for the question. And as someone who grew up on the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa County, one of your waterways, I understand their importance. They deliver American commerce to the globe. It’s true in Alabama and it’s true throughout the country. It’s unacceptable that our infrastructure is not meeting our current demands. We have got to work across government agencies to make sure we remove red tape, coordinate, [and] communicate with you [and] stakeholders here in Congress who have the ability to help deliver some of these projects. And I look forward to working with you on the locks and other navigation and flood control infrastructure within Alabama.”
TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. We do have a lot of red tape within the [Army] Corps of Engineers—I’ll let you know that. I look forward to working with you. I’ll [let you] know that we gotta get stuff done. We just can’t sit back…”
TELLE: “Thank you, Senator. Couldn’t agree more.”
ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE AIR FORCE:
TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. Mr. Anderson, thank for your service. As [a] career officer in the Air Force, I’m sure you’ve had your share of both good and bad base facilities, housing units, [and] commissaries. And I believe that what happens outside of work is just as important as work itself. [Your] quality of life, family, stability, and all those things that go along with it.
Do you believe that having a lower quality of life leads to decreased morale, readiness, and retention?”
ANDERSON: “Absolutely, Senator.”
TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. And how do you plan on working with your colleagues in the Air Force staff to address all these issues, because we do have problems?”
ANDERSON: “Senator, you are correct. […] If confirmed, I intend to delve into this issue immediately. My intention is to remain at the headquarters for a period of time in order to come up to speed on these issues, and then to get into the field, if confirmed, and to see these things firsthand. I’ve read about them, and I look forward, if confirmed, by this Committee [to] working with you and with all members of the Committee in addressing these [issues].”
ON NEW ADMISSIONS POLICY AT THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY:
TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. You know, last week, Secretary Hegseth signed a memorandum requiring our service academies to adapt admission standards based solely on merit. Thank God. You know, […] recently, the President put me on the Air Force Academy Board [of Visitors], which I’m looking forward to. I’m also Chairman of the Subcommittee that oversees our academies. I welcome that change in policy. Under the previous administration we saw our nation’s premier leadership laboratories cower to woke ideologies.
If confirmed, you will have oversight over the Air Force Academy. How do you plan on ensuring that this memorandum is thoroughly put [into effect at] our Air Force Academy?”
ANDERSON: “Senator, based on my reading of the public media, the Air Force and specifically the organization that I hope to lead, if confirmed, has already moved aggressively on this. My understanding is that there is a certification required back by the end of the month from the superintendent of the academy. But if confirmed, I intend to delve into this completely to ensure fullest compliance with the Executive Orders, direction of the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of the Air Force as well as the existing law.”
TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. [I] look forward to working with you too, on some things I have in mind for the Academy that possibly we could change. Number one, […] saving money, but also enhance some leadership in the Academy there. I think that we can all get together and make it better. It hasn’t changed in years. We could still go by the same old models. And again, we’re looking for leadership. That’s what the Air Force Academy and all of our academies. Represent, you know, for our military.
I do have some more questions, but I’m out of time, but I’ll give them to you for the for the record.
Mr. Chairman.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.
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