'National security issue': Defense sec demands Tuberville lift military blockade

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke out against the blockade against hundreds of military appointments and promotions being waged by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), calling on him to stop harming military readiness during an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Thursday.

"Your message to [Tuberville] needs to be?" asked Blitzer.

"He needs to lift the holdings," said Austin. "This is a national security issue, a readiness issue."

Tuberville, who refused to take Austin's call to discuss the issue this week, is trying to force the Pentagon to drop a policy that pays for servicemembers who need abortions to travel to states where they are legal — although the policy does not pay for elective abortions, per longstanding federal prohibitions on their funding. Austin remains adamant about preserving the policy.

"Is that something you're willing to deal with, negotiate?" asked Blitzer.

"Wolf, we have a policy that enables our troops to get access to non-covered reproductive health care, and I think that's an important policy," said Austin. "I think our troops don't get to choose where they're assigned, and certainly we want to make sure that our troops are not disadvantaged because they serve in the military or have the ability to have access to noncovered reproductive health care. One in five of my troops, Wolf, is a woman, and our women are — I mean, they provide tremendous value to this force. I'm proud of them, and I think we need to do everything we can to take care of them."

"So bottom line is, the Pentagon will continue to pay for travel, for example, for women to go to other states, if necessary, to get an abortion?" asked Blitzer.

"That's our policy," said Austin.

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