On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville blocked the eighth attempt by Senate Democrats to circumvent his delay of military promotions before the U.S. Senate.
Tuberville has been widely criticized for placing a “hold” on all U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) general and flag officer nominations over the department’s new policy of funding travel and additional paid time off for service members and their dependents seeking an elective abortion. The hold simply requires military nominations and promotions to be processed through regular order rather than being approved by unanimous consent in large batches.
“I continue to reiterate my stance and my position over the last, almost, four months now, about my opposition to this policy,” Tuberville said. “Now, the burden is not on me to pass legislation to stop this illegal policy. The burden is on the administration. The burden is on the administration to stop breaking the law.”
“And so let me just say this one more time — because I keep getting asked the same question over and over again. I will keep my hold. I will keep it on until the Pentagon follows the law or changes the law. It’s that simple,” Tuberville stated. “Those are the two conditions that would get me to drop the hold. So, until these conditions are met, I object.”
There had been questions about whether or not Tuberville would continue his policies after a Tuberville staffer resigned this week. Tuberville’s national security adviser Morgan Murphy resigned on Tuesday after a Washington Post story last week suggested he was largely behind the Senator’s controversial hold on hundreds of military nominations.
The Post obtained an email Murphy sent to colleagues Tuesday night in which he said it was his last day of work for Tuberville.
“Today is my last day with Coach, the best boss I’ve ever had,” Murphy wrote, referring to Tuberville’s nickname from his previous job as a college football coach. “It’s been an honor to work with each of you these past 2.5 years, and I hope you’ll keep in touch with me.”
Tuberville’s office did not respond to a request for comment from Alabama Today on Murphy’s departure. Tuberville’s statement on Wednesday sends a strong message that the Senator is not changing his approach to the issue.
Since March, Tuberville has held up the Senate from approving more than 200 Pentagon nominations over the Pentagon’s abortion travel policy.
Senator Tuberville believes the Pentagon is circumventing the role of Congress and flouting existing federal law, which narrowly restricts the use of taxpayer funds and DoD facilities being used to provide or facilitate abortions for service members.
Conservative leaders and pro-life groups have widely applauded Tuberville’s actions.
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