Sen. Tuberville and other Republicans are still very much opposed to the Pentagon's abortion travel policy after a closed-door briefing with Pentagon officials. 'I was going in there with an open mind ... and they gave a poor answer,' Tuberville said.
A Pentagon briefing on the Defense Department’s abortion travel policy on Wednesday did little to sway Republicans, dimming hopes of progress on breaking a single senator’s blockade on more than 200 senior military promotions.
Questions are swirling about whether Tuberville could be convinced to drop his hold if the Senate tees up a vote to scrap that policy through the annual defense policy bill. Ernst, following the briefing, charged that the Pentagon policy “has very few guard rails.” Armed Services ranking Republican Roger Wicker of Mississippi, meanwhile, complained that the Pentagon did not provide data on how abortion access affects enlistment and readiness.
Many senators believe that a vote to overturn the policy as part of the National Defense Authorization Act is increasingly likely, possibly coupled with Democratic proposals to cement it in law. Party leaders have yet to strike a deal to hold those votes, despite an agreement to vote Wednesday on five separate amendments to begin debate.
On Tuesday, Tuberville said he didn’t “want to hold up” the Pentagon bill over his abortion concerns, but he didn’t rule out the possibility that an amendment vote would move things along. The House-passed language blocking the policy is “pretty strong,” he said.
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