Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday that if Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) continues to hold back more than 150 Pentagon candidates over the Pentagon’s abortion policy, the military will be on “readiness”. It will have a powerful impact,” he said.
austin said Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) The U.S. faces “one of the most complicated times” with foreign adversaries, and approval of the Pentagon candidate is “absolutely important in terms of military impact.”
“Failure to approve recommendations for promotion actually creates a ripple effect in the military, leaving it unprepared more than necessary,” the Secretary of Defense said. It will have an impact on children who attend … it will have a powerful impact and it will affect our preparation.”
tuber building made a promise Deferring nominations for civilian and flag officers at the Department of Defense on March 8, protesting new Department of Defense policy offering leave and reimbursement to military personnel who need to travel to have abortions.
The support of Republican senators forced the Democratic-dominated Senate to consider and vote on each nomination rather than approve them en masse, prolonging the process.
SASC member Tuberville says he will continue to block the nomination until the Pentagon withdraws the new policy.
On Tuesday, he vowed to prevent the military from being “politicized,” arguing that the Pentagon’s new policy circumvented congressional powers by making the government pay for abortions.
“This is about not forcing taxpayers in this country to fund abortions. “American Taxpayers [is] It’s on Hook to pay for travel expenses and leave for elective abortion. “
The Department of Defense allows abortion in cases of rape, incest, or when a woman’s health and life are in danger.
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, the Pentagon pledged to continue allowing abortions in military treatment facilities.
In February, the Department of Defense updated its policy to include refund and vacation procedures. In the past, military personnel paid for their own abortions in private hospitals.
Republicans have condemned the policy, including SASC ranking member Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who said failure to promote access to abortion could impact readiness. I question the position of
Conversely, a group of 36 Senate Democrats and two independent senators sent a letter to the Pentagon on Monday expressing support for the new abortion policy.
Austin said on Tuesday that nearly one in five U.S. military personnel are women with no choice in where they are stationed, and nearly 80,000 of them are in states with limited access to reproductive health care.
The defense secretary also said the new policy was “founded on a strong legal basis.”
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