Months ago, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) took a stand against the Pentagon's abortion policy that provides service members and their dependents paid time off for abortion and the cost of travel. In response, Tuberville has been holding up Department of Defense (DoD) nominees, and he's made clear he'll stand strong, though calls for him to relent have increased.
On Monday, Tuberville objected to the eleventh request for unanimous consent to approve military promotions, which would have approved the nomination of General Eric Smith as Commandant of the Marine Corps.
President Joe Biden spoke about the matter during a press conference in Finland when taking a reporter's question.
"What does this say about U.S. military readiness and would you be willing to talk to Tuberville to work out some solution?" the reported asked.
"I'd be willing to talk to him if I thought that there was any possibility he would change this ridiculous position he has," the president said. "He's jeopardizing U.S. security by what he's doing. I expect the Republican Party to stand up, stand up and do something about it. They--they, it's within their power to do that," he said.
As he lamented "we don't know what's going to happen" with holds on promotions, Biden continued, "The idea that we're injecting into, that we're injecting fundamental foreign policy decisions would in fact, as a domestic social debate on social issues, is bizarre. I don't ever recall that happening, ever. It's just totally irresponsible in my view."
Although Biden may not "ever recall [holds] happening," a member of his own party, Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, held up nominees in 2020.
Biden says that @SenTuberville's hold on military nominations is "ridiculous," "bizarre," and "totally irresponsible."
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 13, 2023
"He's jeopardizing U.S. security!" pic.twitter.com/tvwaU6o5fh
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Biden's response leaves out key details. The policy is in violation of 10 U.S.C. 1093, which dictates that abortion can only be funded in cases of rape, incest, or threat to the life of the mother.
What Tuberville is asking for is for a vote in Congress on changing that policy. He's not only standing up for life, but the rule of law.
Tuberville, unlike Biden, has indicated his willingness to talk about the issue.
“That would be the area where we could talk about, you know, put on the floor what you want, but if it doesn't (pass), if it fails, it's got to go back to the original,” Tuberville said.
— Liz Brown-Kaiser (@lizbrownkaiser) July 13, 2023
“I do not want the policy to stay the same if their bill does not pass, it goes back to the old policy. So that's negotiable. That part,” Tuberville added.
— Liz Brown-Kaiser (@lizbrownkaiser) July 13, 2023
Some progress may be in the works. On Thursday, the senator spoke with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. This comes after the DoD failed to respond to letters from Republicans about the policy.
At 1:30PM EST, @SenTuberville spoke with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Coach said he’s grateful for the cordial and productive conversation and looks forward to continuing dialogue in the near future.
— Grayson Everett (@Grayson270) July 13, 2023
When it comes to criticism, Tuberville is armed with rebuttals. This includes with op-eds for The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Times.
Tuberville also retweeted support from Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who has likewise objected to such unanimous consent requests.
Dems are mad because federal law prohibits the use of @DeptofDefense funds for abortion. DOD came up with a novel trick to circumvent that law. @TTuberville heard about the plan and warned DOD not to carry it out, telling @SecDef in clear terms what would happen if DOD did… https://t.co/nhQoJjIeAc
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 12, 2023
Such nominations can still proceed if Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) schedules a floor vote. CBS News put into context the time it would take, citing Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), one of the more vocal Democrats opposed to Tuberville's holds:
Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on the Senate floor Monday that because Tuberville's hold forces the Senate to invoke cloture on each nominee, the Congressional Research Service estimates it would take 668 hours to confirm the 251 nominations currently pending – 27 days if the Senate works around the clock and 84 days if they work 8 hours a day just on the military nominations.
Lee tweeted out a lengthy thread on Thursday night addressing key narratives about the hold, including the confirmation of nominees.
5. It would just take more time than many (perhaps most) senators are willing to devote to that task.
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 13, 2023
Even if it would take time to confirm the members, Tuberville's office has reminded that existing officers are kept in place until their replacement is confirmed. Officers will also receive their pay backdated to when they had been selected for higher rank.
Admiral John C. Aquilino testified before the SASC that "operationally, I'm going to have no impact" when it comes to the holds, since officers remain "until the proper replacement is in place." Even Chairman Reed acknowledged, "It seems that for the next several months you could get by."
BIG FACTS: Top combatant commander testifies under oath that my holds have no operational impact. pic.twitter.com/eqeDDHhCVE
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) April 20, 2023
There are those who would seek to portray Republicans as being in disarray over Tuberville's holds. But, support is there, with members and senior staffers communicating such support to Townhall.
Lee's thread spoke to such support.
9. Dems don’t see these positions—those of @SecDef and those of @SenTuberville—as moral equivalents. They see the former as right and the latter as wrong. Dems’ reaction to @SenTuberville’s hold is at least logical, from the Democratic perspective. I don’t agree, but I get it.
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 13, 2023
11. From a Republican perspective, the respective positions taken by @SenTuberville and @SecDef are neither morally nor politically equivalent—not even close. They are as far apart as the political parties’ respective positions regarding the sanctity of unborn human life.
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 14, 2023
13. Given that these positions are neither moral equivalents nor policial equivalents—not even close—no Republican should hesitate to support @SenTuberville’s position.
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 14, 2023
14. And even if they don’t rush to his defense (as they should), they certainly shouldn’t place the blame for this standoff at @SenTuberville’s feet.
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 14, 2023
Tuberville and his office have highlighted support from grassroots leaders, as well as military leaders. The senator spoke to reporters on Wednesday about that support, the Yellow Hammer highlighted.
Tuberville cited a letter from the Heritage Foundation sent to Leader Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) that indicates the signed support of 5,000 veterans.
A 10 minute call with SECDEF Austin m onths ago.
— Tommy Tuberville (@TTuberville) July 13, 2023
ZERO contact from the White House.
ZERO contact from Chuck Schumer.
ZERO Generals called up for a vote for "national security".
EVERY job is being done.
SHOCKER...more political theatre from the Dems. https://t.co/dbOtZvpJ9o
The illegal abortion policy is part of a larger issue of the woke military. It's not merely about prioritizing abortion access, but also pronouns, particularly noteworthy Pride events, and showcasing trans members.
Tuberville is not the only one looking to end such a policy. Earlier on Thursday, the House voted to end the policy via an amendment offered to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
House ADOPTS amendment prohibiting DoD from covering travel expenses for service members seeking abortions.
— Heather Caygle (@heatherscope) July 13, 2023
Amendment was approved via 221-213
The passage was good news to groups like Heritage Action for America, which had scored the vote on the amendment, and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.
🚨KEY VOTE WIN🚨
— Heritage Action (@Heritage_Action) July 13, 2023
The House of Representatives voted 221-213 to pass the Jackson/Roy amendment (Amendment #5, Rule II) to the NDAA.
Thank you to all the Members of Congress who voted to protect life! https://t.co/7CSUq3pHnT
We also applaud @SpeakerMcCarthy, Leader @SteveScalise, House Armed Services Chairman @RepMikeRogers4 and Subcommittee Chairman @RepJimBanks for their work to curtail this administration’s funding for brutal, painful abortions.
— SBA Pro-Life America (@sbaprolife) July 13, 2023
2/2 pic.twitter.com/wkCATZPAq3
The amendment was offered by Reps. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) and Chip Roy (R-TX), who have both spoken out against the woke military. Roy made remarks from the House floor on Thursday and provided comments to Townhall, as well as issued a report from last November.
Perhaps it's this wokeness and sense of false priorities that should have us concerned about military readiness.
.@chiproytx: “The American people…don't want a woke military. They don't want rainbow propaganda on bases. They don't want to pay for troop sex changes.” pic.twitter.com/zqQMoPnAWA
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 13, 2023
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