Tommy Tuberville Called a 'Fraud' Amid Military Battle

Senator Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican, faced backlash this weekend for continuing to block hundreds of military promotions in protest over the Pentagon's policies relating to abortion.

Over the past several months, Tuberville, the former Auburn University football coach who was elected in 2020, has protested nominations within the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), initially opposing abortion-related policies within the Pentagon, such as the agency helping to pay for some expenses, such as travel, for service members and their families to get the medical procedure if they were located in a state where they could not get one.

Tuberville has said that the Pentagon's abortion policy violates the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funding for abortion procedures except if it is to save the life of the mother, or if the pregnancy arises from incest or rape.

Tuberville, who has had no military experience, has received criticism from military and public officials who believe he's damaging national security and punishing military families.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Friday to speak about Tuberville's actions.

"Senator Tommy Tuberville has blocked hundreds of military promotions for months, playing politics with our military and their families. Senate Republicans letting this continue are undermining national security. That is not only dangerous, it is shameful," Warren wrote on X, formerly Twitter, while also sharing a clip of her interview appearance.

During an appearance on CNN on Saturday, U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said the blocking of military promotions is unprecedented.

"Senator Tuberville has no experience in the military. This is his first time I think in public service, and I don't think he appreciates how much of an impact this is having and how negative an impact it is for the military," he said.

Meanwhile, U.S. Army combat veteran Fred Wellman wrote on X on Saturday that the Republican senator "is a fraud."

In a statement shared exclusively with Breitbart News last month, Tuberville said he "warned the Pentagon that I would hold their most senior nominees if they broke the law."

"They did it anyway, and forced my hand. Since then, [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer and the Biden Administration have refused any serious negotiations, and so this situation has dragged on," he said. "This has given me more time to look more closely into the background of some of these nominees, and I have deep concerns about some of them. I will continue this process of oversight and I will announce my opposition to specific nominees in the weeks ahead."

According to The Washington Post, Tuberville's decision to block DOD nominations has affected at least 301 positions as of August 12, and the number is expected to increase to around 650.

In direct response to Tuberville's continued blockage, Representative Adam Smith, a Washington state Democrat, called for the Senate to change its rules.

"I wish the Senate would change their rules so that one senator doesn't have that kind of power, so that we actually would have a democracy where you have a fair vote," Smith said on CNN on Friday.

The Democratic senator added: "In this case, it's incredibly destructive to the defense of this country, to the national security of this country, to not be able to have top leaders appointed to their position nearly undermines our ability to protect this country, bottom line."

Retired four-star Admiral James Stavridis, who served in the U.S. Navy for 37 years, agreed with Smith in an X post he made Saturday afternoon.

"I agree with @RepAdamSmith. No rhyme or reason that one Senator should be allowed (or able) to hold the U.S. military hostage. Got a beef? Pass a law," he wrote.

As Tuberville continues to face backlash, GOP leaders in Congress have tried to negotiate with him and have been unsuccessful, according to The Hill on Sunday.

GOP leaders have attempted to create a conversation and a solution with Tuberville, with one unnamed Senate Republican telling The Hill in July that finding an agreeable solution to both Tuberville and those opposed to the holds has become a "recurring discussion" in the Senate GOP conference.

"It's hung around for a while. I support his goals," Senator John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said at the time. "The challenge obviously is the mechanism he [Tuberville] used to get to the result has created some challenges. We want to figure out a way to resolve it and address that."

Newsweek has reached out Tuberville and the Department of Defense via email for comment.