Sen. Tammy Duckworth calls it ‘beyond disgusting’ that Tuberville is blocking Military promotions

Sen. Tammy Duckworth is the latest Democrat to bash Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville for holding up Military promotion and nominations in objection of the Pentagon reimbursing travel for abortions.

Duckworth, a retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel who lost her legs in Iraq in 2004, was exacerbated as she expressed her belief that Sen. Tuberville is threatening U.S. national security with the stunt.

‘It is bizarre for Senator Tuberville to say that he’s not jeopardizing national security when he injects politics into the Defense process,’ the Democratic senator said in a Sunday morning interview with NBC’s Meet the Press program.

‘And frankly this is not the time to do it,’ she lamented. ‘Not when there is a war going on in Europe, not when American leadership is vital to the international global order.’

‘For him to really jeopardize our national security by injecting politics and preventing our Military leaders from being able to take their positions and do their jobs is beyond distressing.’

Her comments follow President Joe Biden saying it was ridiculous that the Alabama senator is holding up Military promotions due to the new Pentagon policy that reimburses service members who travel out of state for abortions.

Sen. Tuberville said he would stop the block when the Pentagon reverses its directive to use taxpayer funds to reimburse service members to travel out of state for abortions 

Sen. Duckworth explained that lawmakers have tried to give Tuberville a way to vote on the matter of stopping the Pentagon reimbursement program, but that he has refused to agree to the terms of a floor vote.

‘We’ve given him many options for a vote, and he’s turned them all down,’ Sen. Duckworth told NBC host Chuck Todd. ‘Republican leadership have offered him multiple off ramps to this, and he’s backed himself into a corner.’

‘What he’s saying is what Democrats need to pass a national codification of Roe v. Wade,’ she continued. ‘We would love to do that. Obviously that’s not going to happen any time soon with the Senate so closely split as it is.’

Biden was clearly fed-up with the hold-up of his Pentagon nominees and promotions during remarks in Helsinki, Finland last week.

Asked about the stunt during a press conference in Europe, Biden said that Tuberville is ‘jeopardizing’ U.S. Military readiness and called on the Republican Party to do something about their colleague blocking the movement of Military leaders within the ranks.

Tuberville said that he will stop holding up the actions of the Armed Services Committee once the policy is reversed and taxpayer money is no longer funding travel for abortion services.

‘I’d be willing to talk to him if I thought there’s any possibility of him changing his ridiculous position he has,’ Biden 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.’

President Joe Biden slammed Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s ‘ridiculous’ stunt during a press briefing in Helsinki, Finland last week

The block is holding up the confirmation of the next Marine Corps Commandant, leaving the branch without an official leader for the first time in 100 years.

Outgoing Commandant David Berger stepped down from his post Monday after reaching the length of his term. Tuberville is blocking Gen. Eric Smith, currently the assistant commandant, from being confirmed as his successor by the Senate.

Biden’s pick as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warned Congress on Wednesday that Tuberville’s block could cause every branch to lose top talent.

Air Force General C.Q. Brown shared his perspective during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, where Tuberville was present.

Abortion is now illegal in Tuberville’s home state of Alabama, meaning if a service member wanted an abortion, they would need to travel out of state for the procedure.

Defense Department Secretary Lloyd Austin directed after the Dobbs ruling last June that service members be paid for their time and reimbursed travel costs for the procedure.

Tuberville’s blockade, progressive Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren noted during Tuesday’s hearing, will end up leaving 650 leaders in limbo as they await promotions and appointments.

‘My concern there is future retention,’ Gen. Brown warned during the hearing.

He added: ‘We have our more junior officers who now will look up and say: ‘If that’s the challenge that we may have to deal with in the future. I’m going to balance between my family and serving in a senior position.’ And we will lose talent because of those challenges.’

Brown noted that the service members are not the only ones affected – but that spouses and children are also now unsure of the future.

He told the Senate panel on Tuesday that some families have already sold their home in anticipation of a move and are now in temporary base housing and others were preparing for retirement but are now being kept to maintain their post while awaiting replacements to be appointed.

Biden’s pick as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown (pictured), warned during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday that the Military will ‘lose talent’ if the hold persists of senior officer promotions and appointments

Following the overturn of Roe v. Wade last summer, Secretary Austin unveiled a rule allowing the use of funds to pay service members to go out of state for abortion services, if needed.

The Dobbs Supreme Court decision in June 2022 sent abortion laws back to the states – and more conservative jurisdictions, like Alabama, imposed restrictive laws on pregnancy termination.

‘The spouse network is alive and well, and the spouses will compare notes,’ Brown added during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday. ‘The member may want to serve, but the spouses and the families get a huge vote.’

Caught in the cross-hairs of the block is Marine Corps Assistant Commandant Eric Smith’s nomination to take over as outgoing Commandant Berger’s term ends. The Marine Corps is now without a Senate confirmed leader for the first time in 100 years

He said that if families are unhappy, they may influence their senior officer spouses or parents to end their Military service.

For months, no nominee for general or admiral have been confirmed due to Tuberville’s block.

The Alabama senator said he would give up on the hold if the Pentagon reverses its policy reimbursing travel for troops who receive abortions.

There are currently more than 250 senior promotions pending Senate approval.

Tuberville did not mention the block or in general the DoD’s abortion policies at the confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

Democrats, however, didn’t miss their chance to call-out the Republican senator.

‘What he could do to help is lift this stay before it does more damage to this country,’ Sen. Warren said.

Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia argued during his time that Tuberville is punishing apolitical military personnel for a policy that they have no control over.

‘I’m unaware of anything that they have done that would warrant them being disrespected, punished or delayed in their careers,’ Kaine said. ‘Just because a prerogative can be exercised, doesn’t mean it should be exercised.

‘I would urge all of my colleagues to turn away from the path that we’re on where we’re disrespecting and punishing people because we’re unhappy with policies in the military that these individuals had nothing to do with.’