(Daily Signal)—Some Senate Republicans sided with Democrats in pushing to approve hundreds of President Joe Biden’s military promotions Wednesday night, even as the Defense Department continues to allow taxpayer-funded travel for service members or spouses to obtain an abortion.
The bipartisan move was to break a “hold” placed by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., on more than 300 military promotions to force Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to drop the Pentagon’s abortion policy.
Tuberville and most other Republicans said Austin’s policy is illegal and violates the Hyde Amendment, a decades old measure that prohibits taxpayer funding of abortion.
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said both Austin and Tuberville were “taking intractable positions.”
“If each senator held up military promotions until we got our way, the military would grind to a halt,” Romney said. “Sen. Tuberville correctly pointed out what Secretary Austin did is against the law. We have a process when something is against the law. It’s the court process.”
In a floor speech, Tuberville said he reveres the U.S. military and respects his colleagues’ commitment to being pro-life. He said the disagreement is about abortion, but also about the rule of law.
“There is no law that allowed [the Pentagon] to do this. There is a law that says they can’t do this,” Tuberville said. The Alabama Republican added: “This is about whether the Pentagon can make law. The only institution I honor more than the military is the Constitution.”
The issue is narrowly contested because Republicans hold 49 seats in the Senate and Democrats hold 48, but can count on the votes of three independents.
Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts defended Tuberville.
“The fact that some Republicans would pressure their own, as opposed to pressuring Biden on his DEI nonsense (at the Defense Department, no less!), is outrageous,” Roberts wrote earlier Wednesday in a post on X, formerly Twitter. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.)
The fact that some Republicans would pressure their own, as opposed to pressuring Biden on his DEI nonsense (at the Defense Department, no less!), is outrageous. https://t.co/Xsrr1kKe9c
— Kevin Roberts (@KevinRobertsTX) November 1, 2023
Throughout the night, Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, read off numerous Biden nominees for military promotions and made a motion to bring each promotion up for a vote. Each time, Tuberville objected to the Senate’s taking a vote.
“I am pro-life to the core,” Sullivan said, but added, “The holds pose a strategic risk to our forces.”
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a military veteran, talked about how she was a mother. Now her daughter serves in the Army, Ernst said, and is about to be a mother.
Ernst also read off names and detailed the qualifications of military leaders whose promotions were being held as a result of Tuberville’s challenge to the Pentagon.
Ernst described herself as “adamantly and unabashedly pro-life.”
“The DOD is waging war on the unborn, a war that is immoral and illegal,” Ernst said of the Defense Department.
But, the Iowa Republican said, the military officers whose promotions were being held up aren’t responsible for Austin’s abortion policy.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., agreed, saying, “What this is going to do is open up a Pandora’s box” on objecting to nominees for military promotions every time a senator disagrees with a policy.
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“If we require the military to be subordinate to civilian control, why would we punish them for something they had nothing to do with?” Graham said.
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Joni, I do not know you, but your argument is really low IQ .Principles matter. If you are willing to compromise in them, them you have mo principles at all.
R- REPUBLICAN
I- IN
N- NAME
O- ONLY
OUR PREMISE IN OUR GOVERNMENT is based in TRUTH(S). How can WE THE PEOPLE accept these LYING LOSERES that pretend and LIE their way to a PENSION, and this too, AT TAX-PAYER EXPENSE.
WE THE PEOPLE are the REAL SUSPECTS for NOT CARING.
Hey Lindsthey, the problem is that they are not subordinate to civilian control. Look at what Milley did with the Chinese and saying he would inform them about any military action. Lindsthey only approves of go nowhere subpoenas and committees for leverage. “Ernst described herself as “adamantly and unabashedly pro-life.” FALSE
Senator Tom Tuberville… A REAL MAN, A TRUE AMERICAN. Not many to be seen TODAY…97% of our ‘government’ works at BEST FOR ITSELF, NOT for A M E R I C A. And, again, NOTHING HAPPENS.
Look at-IF YOU CAN- RASHY TALABIA. A sesame street character IN OUR GOVERNMENT.
Look at- IF YOU CAN- ILLHANDS OHMAR, A SOMALIAN THAT HATES EVERY WHITE BEING ON THIS
CONTINENT and should be EXPELLED FROM CONgress for the VERY LEAST-MARRYING HER BROTHER TO ILLEGALLY ENTER MY COUNTRY and then ONLY TO DENIGRATE all of us? But nothing happens AND THE RINOs COME OUT OF THE WALLS and UNDER THE FURNITURE9cockroaches) of CONgress to destroy all semblance of ACCOMPLISHMENT or HOPE FOR THIS once UNITED STATES of AMERICA (UNRECOGNIZABLE TODAY). And for ONCE I am glad to be ‘OLD’.
sir.
yes, the tubervilles of citizen representation have the guts of a marine, the heart of a man who fears the Lord, and the hope of their constituents. but they won’t prevail. the sell-outs don’t just outnumber them, they are heavily rewarded by numberless corporations packing the greed train. perks in the here-and-now world are a living, thriving force in that world. meaning the majority (vast majority) of ‘this present evil age’ speak the same language of tuberville’s backstabbers. no, this is not sufficient reason to stop supporting the man with votes and respect. but a sober-minded look into the future, via God’s Word, should move all of us to place our hope ONLY in Christ’s return — while continuing to speak the truth boldly — in love — to those who hate us. weren’t we all once as blind as any of them? then grace happened. there will be many 11th-hour escapees from darkness into His Light. be sure our primary focus is on THAT battle, and our responsibility to carry it out faithfully.
I am a 26-year retired Navy Enlisted Man/Navy Officer. The most important thing I learned in the military was that leadership does not come from what is on a person’s collar, or shoulder, or sleeve, but instead comes from what is in his mind and heart and soul. Hold fast Senator Tuberville… Real leaders are with you.
Moloch smiles upon those Senators who pushed through the promotions. Moloch be praised.