By Arlette Saenz and Kaitlan Collins | CNN
President Joe Biden said Thursday that Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville is being “irresponsible” and jeopardizing national security by blocking military promotions over his objections to the Defense Department’s reproductive health policies.
“I’d be willing to talk to him if I thought there was any possibility he would change his ridiculous position on this. He’s jeopardizing US security with what he’s doing,” Biden said during a news conference in Helsinki, Finland, when asked by CNN about Tuberville’s position.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s office attempted to set up a call between the secretary and Tuberville on Thursday, but the Alabama senator’s office declined the opportunity, saying he did not have time for a call on Thursday or this weekend, a senior defense official told CNN. Tuberville had complained that Austin has not tried to reach him about his hold on military nominations in protest of the Pentagon’s reproductive health policies.
A defense official told CNN Austin and Tuberville eventually spoke at about 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
Tuberville has blocked hundreds of military promotions as a way to protest new Pentagon policies on reproductive health care, which among other things included a travel allowance for service members who must go out of state to receive an abortion. As of July 7, Tuberville’s hold was impacting 265 senior military officers – including high-profile roles like the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the commandant of the Marine Corps.
An internal assessment put together by the Pentagon and obtained by CNN says the holds affect the families of 84 officers awaiting confirmation, including officers who have paid out of pocket to move their families, military spouses who have left their jobs anticipating new assignments, and children unable to enroll in new schools.
The hold disrupts what is typically a routine process of confirming hundreds of…
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