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Washington: A Republican Senator is blocking the promotions of hundreds of US military officers – including some of the nation’s top brass – due to his objection to the Pentagon allowing women to take leave or travel if they need an abortion.
In an extraordinary standoff, retired Alabama football coach-turned-politician Tommy Tuberville is refusing to vote on the promotions of defence personnel, leaving about 250 officers and their families in limbo and the US Marine Corps without a commander for the first time in 164 years.
Tommy Tuberville throws toy footballs to supporters in 2020Credit: AP
The Senator, who campaigned for office on his loyalty to Donald Trump, his support for gun rights and his pro-life stance, announced he would thwart Department of Defence nominees months ago in protest over the Pentagon’s reproductive health care policies, which include allowing leave and travel funds to women in the military if they need an abortion. But his refusal to budge unless the Pentagon rethinks its policy has since stalled promotions that would typically be fast-tracked by both parties through the Senate.
The Pentagon’s policy provides some flexibility to military women following the Supreme Court’s decision last June to overturn Roe Vs Wade, the 1973 landmark ruling that provided federal abortion protections in America.
Since then, at least 13 states have banned abortion, forcing countless women to take time off and travel to other US states where the process remains legal.
An activist marks the first anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision that overturned Roe v Wade, by displaying a neon sign in support of abortion access in front of the US Supreme Court.Credit: AP
Tuberville’s standoff comes as new health department figures obtained by this masthead provide a snapshot of the difficulties women now face.
In the state of Kansas alone – a conservative jurisdiction where voters last year rejected a constitutional amendment to restrict procedures – 70 per cent of the 12,317 abortions that took place over the past twelve months now come from neighbouring states where abortion is now illegal, such as Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.
At one clinic in Wichita, the most populous city in Kansas, the demand for services has soared to such an extent that the Trust Women centre has had to replace its phone system several times to accommodate the sheer volume of calls coming in.
Spokesman Zachary Gingrich-Gaylord said the centre has received as many as 15,000 phone calls in one day, and staff and appointments have nearly quadrupled.
“You can’t pick up the phone and get a dial tone because if you pick it up, there will be somebody there on the line wanting for an appointment,” he said. “You’re doing the best you can to answer it but we only have so many appointments a day.”
Gingrich-Gaylord predicted abortion would continue to be a hard-fought issue ahead of next year’s election, but warned that more states would seek to curtail abortion rights unless US President Joe Biden and the Democrats stepped up the fight.
“Federal politicians are going to have to really decide to make this as foundational to their platforms as it is to people’s lives,” he said.
“Biden is going to have to get better on this because the party who wants to win will have to really make it a centrepiece and demand better protections. It’s not something that’s just going to come casually.”
Back in Washington, Tuberville’s protest against the Pentagon’s policy came to the fore this week when the head of the Marine Corps, David Berger, relinquished command on Monday after more than 40 years of service.
People applaud during a primary watch party in Overland Park, Kansas. State voters rejected a ballot measure in the conservative state with deep ties to the anti-abortion movement.Credit: The Kansas City Star/AP
His successor General Eric Smith has not yet been confirmed. The last time the Marines’ leadership failed to have an official successor was in 1859, when the commandant at the time died unexpectedly and there was no one to replace him.
In coming months, nearly half of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – the highest leaders in Defence Department – are also expected to retire, leaving vacancies at risk of not being filled without Congress’ consent unless Tuberville rethinks his “hold”.
A hold is an informal and sparingly used practice by which a Senator informs Senate leadership that they do not want a particular measure or nomination to reach the floor for consideration.
A hold can’t ultimately stop a nominee from being confirmed. However, in order to get the nominations through, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer would need to use up valuable time on the floor of the Senate moving each promotion individually, which could take months, if not years, given everything else on the legislative agenda.
Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin welcomes Defence Minister Richard Marles in Washington in February.
In May, seven former defence secretaries, including two appointed under Trump, penned a letter to Senate leaders arguing that the delay of key military promotions was “harming military readiness and risks damaging US national security.”
“Leaving these and many other senior positions in doubt at a time of enormous geopolitical uncertainty sends the wrong message to our adversaries and could weaken our deterrence,” they wrote to Schumer (a Democrat) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (a Republican).
Asked about this on CNN this week, Tuberville, who is also a member of the Senate’s Armed Services Committee replied: “They weren’t elected. I was elected to represent the people of Alabama in this country.”
“We are supposed to be making the law, not the Pentagon and not the White House,” he said.
“I’m not stopping anybody from being confirmed. I’m just stopping them from confirming the hundreds at a time.”
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