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Golden Calls for Resignation of Acting Navy Secretary

April 7, 2020

Golden: “Mr. Modly’s failure to meet the high standards expected of our Navy’s leaders renders him unsuitable for duty as Acting Secretary of the Navy.”

WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) released a statement calling for the resignation of Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly. Golden's statement follows the Secretary's leadership failure aboard the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt yesterday and expresses the congressman's continuing concern over the Navy's refusal to seriously address the public health threats facing the shipbuilding workforce across the country.

"Acting Secretary Modly's personal attacks on Captain Crozier — made while addressing the sailors whose health and well-being the Captain sought to protect aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt — represent a profound lack of judgment and a callous strain of leadership that are beneath the office he holds.

"I also note with concern that the dangerous brand of leadership demonstrated by the Acting Secretary towards our uniformed personnel appears to also include the men and women who form the backbone of our shipbuilding workforce, such as those at Bath Iron Works, who continue to work in close quarters despite obvious risks posed by the current COVID-19 public health crisis.

"At this critical moment, when leadership matters most, the Navy's priority should be to maintain readiness by protecting its most valuable, irreplaceable asset – its men and women in uniform and the shipbuilders who support them – from COVID-19."

"Mr. Modly's failure to meet the high standards expected of our Navy's leaders renders him unsuitable for duty as Acting Secretary of the Navy. I believe he should resign." - Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02)

Working with his colleagues in the Maine congressional delegation, Golden has repeatedlypressed Modly and the Navy to provide BIW with the flexibility to address the health and safety concerns presented by COVID-19. Despite multiple efforts by Golden and the delegation to seek clarification to help protect shipbuilding workers, the Navy has not yet directly addressed their concerns.