Sec Def was warned Pentagon abortion policy would have ‘severe consequences’

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is being heavily criticized for placing a unilateral hold on more than 300 military nominations. Tuberville is protesting a Pentagon policy that provides paid time off and travel expense reimbursement for active duty members who get an abortion. 

The senator said he will keep this going as long as the Pentagon’s abortion policy remains in place. 

“It’s not hurting readiness. That’s not a problem. I’ve talked to generals and admirals, all the jobs remain filled until somebody is promoted up,” Tuberville said.

On Monday, Aug. 14, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called the hold, “unprecedented,” “unnecessary” and “unsafe.”

But in an exclusive interview with Straight Arrow News, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said Secretary Austin shares some of the blame. 

“I was there when the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee warned Secretary Austin that if he did this in a unilateral way, with no input from Congress, that there would be consequences, severe consequences. So Secretary Austin knew this before he even did the policy,” Bacon said. 

Bacon said had Austin worked with Congress, they could have reached a compromise. For instance, Bacon suggested a permissive leave policy, where time spent traveling for an abortion wouldn’t count against vacation time. 

“To do this in a unilateral way and expect zero consequences was foolish by Secretary Austin. He should have sat in a room and made a deal with the leadership,” Bacon said. 

In May, Secretary Austin wrote a four-page letter about the negative impacts on military readiness. 

“The longer that this hold persists, the greater the risk the U.S. military runs in every theater, every domain, and every service,” Austin wrote.  

Bacon is a retired Air Force general and said the hold’s impacts on military readiness are likely negligible, but there are costs. 

“This is not the right way to run our military, by no means. So I’m not trying to defend what’s going on because I think it’s not fair to the generals involved,” Bacon said. “This should be what two adults in a room can solve if they were sincere.”

Both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate have spoken out against Tuberville’s hold. That includes Republicans who disagree with the Pentagon’s policy but think Tuberville is going about this the wrong way. 

“The senator from Alabama risks permanently injecting politics into the confirmation of routine military promotions. And that would risk our entire national security,” Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in March when there were 160 pending nominations. 

“No, I don’t support putting a hold on military nominations. I don’t support that,” Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said May 10. 

SAN reached out to the Pentagon for comment on Bacon’s comments and will update upon response. 

The Senate could confirm the nominees to head the Army, Navy and Marines individually. The three branches are currently without a Senate confirmed leader. Those votes would take about three days each because they have to go through the filibuster and cloture process. If Tuberville relented on his hold, the other nominees could be swiftly approved “en bloc” without having to go through a filibuster and cloture.