Washington, DC – Congresswoman Jackie Speier (CA-14), Chair of the House Armed Services Military Personnel Committee, today called upon President Trump to immediately demand the resignation of Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly due to a critical loss of confidence and trust in his ability to lead the U.S. Navy.

“The President must immediately demand Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly’s resignation. Rather than ensuring that Captain Crozier had the vital supplies he needed to keep those under his command safe he decided to retaliate against him for sounding the alarm bells on the very real threat of COVID-19. Sailors and their families deserve civilian leadership that they can trust. Acting Secretary Modly’s mismanagement of the COVID-19 outbreak on board the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt has irreparably undermined trust in his ability to lead and further undermined morale and troop readiness.

This weekend, Acting Secretary Modly’s so-called efforts to get the Roosevelt back on track only made things worse. Amid continued delays in efforts to test and evacuate Sailors off the ship, his remarks to the crew were tone deaf, insulting their commander and their intelligence.

These servicemembers pledge their lives to protect us. They must be able to trust that their leadership will not put their lives at risk unnecessarily or without due care. The Sailors and Marines of the Department of the Navy can no longer trust in the leadership of Thomas Modly. He must resign.”

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