Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) defended Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Alabama) blockade of hundreds of military promotions in protest to a Defense Department policy on abortion.
Tuberville has been holding up the standard military confirmation process since May. The senator is opposing a policy that allows service members to request leave for “non-covered reproductive health services,” which include abortions and in-vitro fertilization.
Though some hard-right GOP members have voiced support for Tuberville, many centrist Republicans have pleaded for him to stand down. Major branches of the U.S. military are without a leader for the first time in more than a century, putting America in a dangerous position amongst other world powers.
In an interview on The Hugh Hewitt Show, DeSantis was asked whether Tuberville should give up on his blockade. The Florida governor vowed to eliminate the Defense Department policy, should he be elected president in 2024.
“We have all these other problems in our military,” DeSantis said. “You know, we need more ammunition. We need more recruiting. We need all these other things, and yet they’re focusing on abortion tourism. So that’ll be an easy thing for me, day one as commander-in-chief. That policy will go out the window, and we’re going to focus on mission accomplishment again.”
DeSantis has aligned himself with far-right ideologies concerning abortion, LGBTQ rights and gun control. His political campaign is centered around his efforts to end “wokeness” in America.
Many voters will undoubtedly condemn DeSantis for taking Tuberville’s side in this unprecedented attack on abortion rights.
