U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville is still committed to blocking some military promotions in an effort to pressure the Defense Department to end its abortion policy for servicemembers, despite receiving some backlash on the issue.
The department’s new policy funds travel and paid time off for servicemembers and dependents seeking an elective abortion.
According to The Hill, President Joe Biden again slammed Tuberville (R-Auburn) during a fundraiser Monday in California.
“It’s bizarre, I don’t remember it happening before,” Biden said. “I know I don’t look like I’ve been around, but I’ve been around a long time.”
Tuberville responded to the president’s criticism on Twitter.
“What is actually bizarre is Joe Biden’s obsession with making taxpayers pay for abortion without Congress ever taking a vote,” Tuberville said.
What is actually bizarre is Joe Biden's obsession with making taxpayers pay for abortion without Congress ever taking a vote.
It’s bizarre and it’s wrong.https://t.co/i9mMjn6wAA
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) June 20, 2023
Earlier in the day, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the holds “dangerous.”
“It is dangerous what is he, what he’s doing, and it is unacceptable,” she said. “We’ve been very, very clear about this. It is important to move forward with the president’s DoD nominations as they relate to our national security, as it relates to military safety, as it relates to what we need to make sure we’re providing for our military force.”
Washington Post columnist Max Boot joined in on the criticism, being the latest member of the press to blast Tuberville on the issue in a piece published Monday.
The GOP claims to be strong on defense, @MaxBoot writes. Tommy Tuberville shows otherwise. https://t.co/3ga5i3oaRw
— Washington Post Opinions (@PostOpinions) June 19, 2023
“Republicans love to posture as the ‘strong on defense’ party, and many GOP members of Congress can genuinely claim that label. But there is also a substantial minority of MAGA extremists whose devotion to fighting culture wars imperils America’s ability to fight actual wars,” Boot said. “Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), who is now holding hostage hundreds of military nominations, clearly belongs to the latter camp.”
Boot said Tuberville’s move is part of an “anti-military MAGA ideology.”
“(Defense Secretary Lloyd) Austin has made clear he has no intention of changing departmental policy to suit one senator because that would only encourage more holds in the future, and Tuberville seems indifferent to the harm he is doing by holding the military hostage,” he said. “So the impasse continues to drag on with no end in sight after more than three months. It’s hard to imagine a clearer illustration of how anti-military MAGA ideology is in practice.”
Despite the continued condemnation by some, the senator is also seeing some praise by others, including former Vice President Mike Pence.
“Well, I fully support Senator Tuberville’s strong stand,” Pence said during a visit Friday to Huntsville. “He’s been a strong conservative voice from the time he arrived in the United States Senate and look one of the ways the Senate exercises its authority is by approving personnel and making sure we are pursuing the right policies. That we are focused on assuring a strong national defense is absolutely essential so I applaud the stand he has taken.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
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