Sen. Mark Kelly on Defense budget request

Well, that is true. Of course, you know their argument that this was an inevitable conflict in some ways. But when it comes to making America ready to defend our allies and ourselves, does what you describe basically make it impossible for a Democrat like yourself to say no to that request from the White House for $1 and 1/2 trillion in defense spending? Well, first of all, let me just back up a second. Things like this, nothing is inevitable. There are always other options. During the Obama administration, the Iran deal, the JCPOA kept the enrichment at a lower level. Donald Trump tore that up. That's the reason we're here. But this also was not inevitable. There were other things that we could do. The $1.5-trillion request from this administration, it's outrageous. When I got to the Senate 5 and 1/2 years ago, the defense budget was just over $700 billion. Now they're asking for twice as much money. It's nearly the amount that the rest of the world pays for its defense. And as I pointed out in that hearing, there's stuff in there like Golden Dome. The physics on that stuff is really, really hard. I'm very confident that we're going to spend a lot of money, and we're going to get a system that doesn't work. There are other things in there we do not need. I mean, they need to submit a defense budget that makes sense for the moment we're in. OK, it sounds like you're saying no on that. Let me ask you about something that the administration released late Friday. And that was sanctioning four entities for providing satellite imagery to enable Iran's military strikes against US forces and allies. Three of those entities are based in China. How extensive is China's support for Iran in targeting of American assets? Well, of course, China's supporting Iran. So is Russia. I mean, they are allies. They're all adversaries of ours, so I'm not surprised. Not surprised? Should there be a cost for it beyond the sanctions? Well, I think sanctions-- whether it's on the Chinese for supporting Iran or the Russians for their war against our ally in Ukraine, sanctions are a tool we have to try to get an effect from our adversaries. And this administration is not using the sanctions power it has with regards to Russia. I mean, we're trying to get them to put more sanctions on Russia, and this administration has been lifting sanctions on the Russians. You mentioned Russia. There is this three-day ceasefire in the Ukraine war to allow prisoner exchanges and this parade that Vladimir Putin holds annually. He said yesterday the Ukraine conflict may be, quote, "coming to an end," but it is still a serious matter. We know the American diplomacy has failed to date. How do you interpret what Putin said there? Well, I think it's a positive statement. We want this to end. Nobody wants this to end more than the Ukrainian people. I'm going to be traveling back to Ukraine here in about three weeks or so just to meet with government officials to get firsthand what the status of the conflict is, to hear from the Ukrainian people. We want this to end. They want it to end. I think one of the barriers to peace is that Donald Trump has not provided the support to the Ukrainian government, the Ukrainian people, that Ukraine needs. I mean, we've seen this over and over again, how he's got this odd relationship with Putin. He refuses to press Putin in a way. He's backed off on sanctions. He's not put the pressure on the Russian government with the tools that we actually have to get an outcome and get this thing-- this conflict to end. Well, we'll see if that position changes since the diplomacy, Secretary Rubio says, has not progressed. I want to ask you about your own case here. You were in court this past week. You are suing Defense Secretary Hegseth on the grounds that he violated your free speech rights. The Justice Department is arguing the video you made was calling on active-duty service members to reject legal orders. I know you say it was just to resist illegal orders. You said it's going to go to the Supreme Court. Why do you think that that's where this is headed? Well, Margaret, I actually don't know how this thing ends. I mean, the Supreme Court could take it up. Maybe they decide not to. I do know this, that Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump tend to double down on bad ideas. That's why I said that. But the bottom line on this thing is this isn't about me. I said something. It was very clear what we said. Do not obey illegal orders. They're saying I said something else. That doesn't make any sense. What they said in court just the other day on Thursday is that if retired service members like me and the other 2 million retired service members out there want to be able to exercise their First Amendment rights, they can give up their retirement, so give up their pension, give up their health care, give up that retired status. Think about that for a second. The people who have given the most to this country, this administration wants them to give up their constitutional rights.

Well, one of the judges said that you are different because you have a bully pulpit because you're a senator, that you're not the same as every other veteran. Well, I mean, my job is to hold this administration accountable. I'm on the Armed Services Committee. Part of the Constitution is a separation of powers, Margaret. My role as a United States senator on that committee is to speak out about these issues. And I said something that they didn't like. But again, this isn't about me. They're trying to shut people up. But in this case, they picked the wrong guy. I'm not going to let them violate my constitutional rights or the constitutional rights of 2 million retired service members. By the way, I had service members, retired service members there with me in the courtroom because they understand what is at stake here. I mean, if the government was to win this, if Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump got their way, I mean, they said I should be hanged, executed. And then they tried to prosecute us and throw us in jail. And now what they're doing-- yeah, exactly. And now they're trying to take away these rights not only from me, but they said in court 2 million retired service members can give up their rights.

Senator Kelly, we'll watch what happens next in that case. Thank you for your time this--