Defense secretary: 'Adversaries' are 'pretty happy' about Tuberville’s military blockade

18 July 2023

United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday called upon Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) to end his blockade of military appointments because he disagrees with the military's policy of providing servicemembers with medical packages that include assistance for abortion-related expenses.

Speaking at a press conference alongside Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milly, Austin explained why those benefits are essential.

"I think we have to keep things in perspective. One in five of my troops, our troops, are women," Austin said. "They don't get a chance to pick where they're assigned. They're serving their country. They're sacrificing each and every day. And they deserve, in my view and in the view of our leadership, they deserve to have access to non-covered reproductive healthcare. And that's what this policy does. It focuses on healthcare, non-reproductive healthcare, which includes other things like IVF and some other things."

Austin elaborated on how Tuberville's obstruction of the congressional process of promoting hundreds of officers weakens the Armed Forces' readiness capabilities.

"So it's important that our troops, our women understand that we care about 'em, that, you know, we understand that they don't get a chance to choose where they're assigned. And so this policy helps them maintain access to that healthcare. And, you know, the importance, the health and welfare of my troops is really, really important to me. And we're gonna continue to do what's necessary to ensure that they have that access."

Austin added that although "Senator Tuberviille has said that it's illegal, it's not illegal. And we've made that point a number of times. We point to the fact that there's an opinion that's posted on the DOJ's public-facing website that really details this issue. And so this is a readiness issue. The fact that Senator Tuberville maintains this hold on the promotions of our senior officers, it cascades. It creates friction throughout the entire chain. It disadvantages families. We've talked — you've heard us talk about the impact of that. And so I would, I would ask Senator Tuberville to lift this hold and, you know, as you think about this, Jennifer, I would imagine our adversaries would look at something like this and be, and be pretty happy that we create this kind of turbulence with within our force."

Watch the clip below via The Recount or at this link.

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