‘DOD SHOULD STAND DOWN’

DeSantis Defends Tuberville Blocking Military Promotions Over ‘Abortion Tourism’

“The DOD should stand down,” DeSantis said. “We need all these other things, and yet they’re focusing on abortion tourism.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is backing Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R–AL) one-man campaign to block hundreds of military nominations and promotions over a Pentagon abortion policy. In an interview with CNN’s Hugh Hewitt on Thursday, DeSantis claimed the policy, which he described as “funding abortion tourism” with “tax dollars,” does not follow U.S. law and is “not an appropriate thing for the military to be doing.” DeSantis added: “The DOD should stand down. We have all these other problems in our military. You know, we need more ammunition. We need more recruiting. We need all these other things, and yet they’re focusing on abortion tourism.” The policy allows service members to access abortion by covering travel costs and leave for medical care. If elected president, DeSantis said the policy would “go out the window” on “day one as commander-in-chief” in order to “focus on mission accomplishment again.” He told Hewitt he does not think Tuberville should put an end to his blockade, which has left major positions without a Senate-confirmed appointee.