Per multiple reports, former college football coach Tommy Tuberville ended his nearly year-long blockade of over 400 military promotions over the Pentagon’s abortion policy. According to the New York Times, Tuberville is continuing to hold up promotions for four-star generals over the abortion policy.
Former Texas Tech coach partially lifted his blockade
Tuberville, a Republican of Alabama, takes aim with the Pentagon spending money for service members to seek an abortion:
The retreat represented a stark reversal for Mr. Tuberville, who for 10 months had steadfastly defended his move to stall all senior military promotions over a new Pentagon policy that offers time off and travel reimbursement to service members seeking abortions or fertility care.
Tuberville lifted the hold after senators considered breaking the normal process of granting promotions. Multiple military officials and even Republican senate minority leader Mitch McConnel said they believed Tuberville’s actions harmed the military and were dangerous:
“Mr. Tuberville said on Tuesday that he had decided to lift the blockade after senators hatched a plan to temporarily go around the chamber’s rules to allow confirmation of almost all military nominees as a bloc. That would have been a major break with tradition and a step many senators in both parties were reluctant to take.
“It’s been a long fight,” Mr. Tuberville told reporters. “We fought hard. We did the right thing for the unborn and for our military, fighting back against executive overreach.”
The White House releases a statement on Tommy Tuberville
The White House released a statement from President Joe Biden after Tuberville lifted the hold on the non-senior staff appointments. The Democrat President condemned Tuberville for holding up the confirmations over partisan reasons:
“These confirmations are long overdue, and should never have been held up in the first place. Our service members are the backbone of our country and deserve to receive the pay and promotions they have earned. In the end, this was all pointless.
Senator Tuberville, and the Republicans who stood with him, needlessly hurt hundreds of servicemembers and military families and threatened our national security – all to push a partisan agenda. I hope no one forgets what he did.
Those who serve this nation deserve better.”
Tuberville was a former head football coach at Auburn, Texas Tech, and Cincinnati. Tuberville resigned from Cincinnati after he could not use the school as a stepping stone to a better job like many coaches have before or since.
Tuberville left football coaching to run for the US Senate in 2020. He’s been known for taking controversial stances during his time as a Senator.
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