John:

Pete Hegseth decided he's going to censure me, and is threatening to demote me and reduce my pension.

I got shot at in service to this country. I missed holidays and birthdays. I commanded a space shuttle mission and launched to the International Space Station while my wife recovered from a gunshot wound to the head.

My rank and retirement are things that I earned through my service and sacrifice for this country. Generations of servicemembers have done the same. Pete Hegseth wants to send a message to every single one that he will come after them if they say something he doesn't like.

You swear an oath to the Constitution when you join the military — including the First Amendment right to free speech. We swore to defend the foundational principles of this country. I took that oath seriously 40 years ago, and I still do.

Pete Hegseth can threaten to reduce my rank and my pension. But I am not going to let him intimidate me, or anyone else. He is not going to stop me from defending our democracy from a president who is hellbent on destroying it.

If they think this is going to shut me up as we fight to take back the Senate, they've got another thing coming.

And if you're still with us, please: Split a donation between the DSCC and my campaign so we can fight back by flipping the Senate majority.

If you've saved payment info with ActBlue Express, your donation will be processed immediately and split between Mark Kelly and the DSCC.

Don't give up the ship.

Mark
Vice Chair, DSCC

Former U.S. Navy combat pilot, engineer, and NASA astronaut Mark Kelly is a senator from Arizona and a Vice Chair of the DSCC. He's fighting to lower costs for Arizonans, hold Trump accountable, and create good-paying jobs.

Will you answer Mark Kelly's call to fight back against National Republicans by flipping the Senate?

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Mark Kelly was a Captain in the U.S. Navy and an astronaut. Use of his military rank, job titles and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the Department of the Navy or Department of Defense and reference to NASA does not imply endorsement by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.