After some 10 months blocking hundreds of promotions for senior military officers, Sen. Tommy Tuberville relented and backed off, allowing some 400 promotions to be confirmed by the Senate.
Tuberville stalled Senate confirmation for military promotions in order to pressure the Defense Department to back off its newly hatched policy on abortion in which DOD -- i.e., U.S. taxpayers -- will foot the bill for women in the military to travel out of the state where they are residing to get an abortion.
The policy was set forth after the Supreme Court ruling overturning the Roe v. Wade decision.
Per Tuberville, the Defense department acted outside of its authority with this measure. It goes against long-standing Defense department rules under which the Defense department provides coverage for abortion: rape, incest or threat to the life of the mother. We also have the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits taxpayer funded abortion -- although there are different opinions whether DOD falls under its purview.
Tuberville argues that the Defense Department using taxpayer funds for unrestricted abortion requires new law.
President Joe Biden called Tuberville's efforts "pointless," saying he, along with those who supported his efforts, "needlessly hurt hundreds of service members and military families and threatened our national security -- all to push a partisan agenda. I hope no one forgets what he did."
I echo the president's sentiments. I hope no one forgets the courageous efforts of Tuberville to stand alone in a high-profile effort that, rather than being narrowly partisan, has profound implications on our national culture and hence on our national security.
Much attention has been directed recently to our universities. Many Americans have been shocked to see the cultural rot that has taken hold at our elite institutions of learning.
Presidents of these universities mouth mindless, antiliberal, woke slogans while students speak out and demonstrate in support of atrocities committed by terrorists.
We would be mistaken to think this is a phenomenon and problem limited to our universities. Students are already arriving to our universities indoctrinated in our public schools and culture at large with distorted, destructive values.
In a Wall Street Journal/NORC poll from March this year, only 38% said patriotism is "very important," compared to 70% who in 1998 said it's very important.
Among those under the age of 30, only 23% said patriotism is very important.
Regarding religion, 39% said it is very important, compared to 62% in 1998.
Of those under 30, only 23% said having children is "very important."
Does the major decline in the values of religion, patriotism, family and children point to something happening in our culture we should worry about? I think yes.
Does it have implications on our national security? I think yes.
Military recruiting officers testified last week before the Senate Armed Services Committee on personnel. The Army fell short of its recruiting goal by 25% in 2022, and the Army, Navy and Air Force all failed to meet recruiting goals in the fiscal year that ended in September.
Per Gallup polling earlier this year, 60% expressed "a great deal/quite a lot" of confidence in the military, compared to 82% 20 years ago, in 2003.
War is about life and death. Abortion is about life and death. War is about values that go beyond self. Abortion is about values that go beyond self.
Tuberville may have caused inconvenience to hundreds of officers in line for promotion.
But if those officers do not see or understand the importance to our nation of the pro-life values to which Tuberville has drawn national attention, this is a sign of a major problem in national security.
I cannot imagine a healthy military guided by officers who do not appreciate the sanctity of life.
Tuberville may have lost this battle. But he shined light where light must be shined.
Our future depends on the values Tuberville has championed.