Hundreds of nominees for military positions have been stalled as Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., protests Pentagon abortion policy, and that total could swell to 650, the Pentagon says.
Tuberville has argued that the Pentagon is violating the law by reimbursing servicemembers who travel to states whose laws are more lenient for abortion care. Those reimbursements came as a result of the Supreme Court overturning, which for a half century made abortions legal. Now each state can come up with its own abortion policy.
A federal law from the 1980s prohibits the federal government from paying for abortions. Military and civilian officials argue the payments are solely for transportation, not care, but Tuberville has stood firm. He says he won't change his mind until Democrats allow a vote on the policy. "The senator from Alabama has chosen a profoundly insulting and damaging path to make his unhappiness known," said Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee."The Senate has always treated military nominations with respect and bipartisan support as part of a routine promotion process. Now, they have been turned into political pawns by the senator from Alabama.
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