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USO Board of Governors Member Stoked Division Among the Ranks Over Potential Shutdown

A Biden White House appointee to the United Service Organization (USO) Board of Governors admonished service members who voted for Republicans as a government shutdown was looming last week, saying it was their fault if the military was going to be without pay.

Rebekah Sanderlin was appointed to serve on the board in September of 2021. In their announcement, the White House said Sanderlin "is a communications professional and a long-time military spouse and military family advocate. She began her career as a print journalist and has written for many regional and national publications, including Military.com, where she wrote a weekly column for military parents."

As the deadline to fund the federal government was getting closer, Sanderlin said she had gotten calls from panicked military spouses over what would happen if the shutdown did happen. She posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, how Republican members of the military would be to blame for the pain military families would feel.

"If you're in the military [and] you voted for them, look to your left [and] right: YOU did this to your brothers [and] sisters...I'm pissed at YOU. You did when you supported politicians who want Fox News time more than they want to lead."

During the height of the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, Sanderlin mocked those who protested to have the COVID restrictions be lifted and businesses to be reopened, saying, "The F*ck Your Feelings folks are all up in their feels about lockdown."

"The USO is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the well-being of service members and their families no matter where their missions take them throughout their military journey. Ms. Sanderlin is not a USO staff member, her comments were her own and do not represent an official position of the USO," the USO said in a response to Townhall.

It appears after Townhall reached out to the USO for comment, Sanderlin deactivated her account on X.