Klobuchar: You Have to Spend on Domestic Benefits ‘If You’re Going to Expect’ People to Join Military 

On Wednesday’s broadcast of MS NOW’s “The Last Word,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) argued that “if you’re going to expect young men and women to sacrifice for our country, you have to also show the country and show them and their families that you have faith in America and that you’re going to make sure you’re helping people in America” with benefit spending.

Klobuchar said, “Look at what he just said this week, Lawrence, he said this, he said, it’s not possible for us to take on daycare, Medicaid, and Medicare, all these individual things, they can do it on a state basis…he is basically saying, well, we’re going to put all our money into this basket, we’re going to reduce the budget on everything else, and you’re out there on your own and see if your state can help you. So, there is a direct line in the comments he just made this week between what happens federally and what’s happening to people in the states. And people understand that.”

Host Lawrence O’Donnell then said, “The president who created all of the social safety net, as it’s called, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, with Social Security and income support, all of that sort of stuff, is also the guy who waged World War II. He did both. And, at no point during World War II did he say, hey, no, no, all we can do here is run a military, we can’t possibly continue Social Security.”

Klobuchar responded, “In fact, I think he saw this as part of — as have other presidents — remember Abraham Lincoln building the Capitol at this time, when everyone was giving him grief for that? Because he said if they see it there, they’re going to believe in our country. So, if you’re going to expect young men and women to sacrifice for our country, you have to also show the country and show them and their families that you have faith in America and that you’re going to make sure you’re helping people in America. And time and time again, great presidents have been able to do two things at once. And what this President said, just this last week, was, nope, we can’t do both things at once. I’m focused on war, I’m focused on this right now, and you guys just go take care of yourself, go talk to the states.”

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