U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama has faced plenty of backlash in recent weeks over his controversial blockade of military promotions over the U.S. Department of Defense’s abortion policy.
His national security adviser resigned on Tuesday over the fallout, according to Politico. His brother, Charles Tuberville, publicly stated on Facebook he was distancing himself from the senator over “ignorant, hateful rants” on a number of topics.
But one group is standing up for the former Auburn University head football coach, and plans to pay for and install billboards praising the Alabama senator for “standing for life” and “against the wokeness” of the military.
The Heritage Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, announced the launch of a billboard and digital ad campaign on Wednesday supporting Tuberville in his effort to overturn the Defense Department’s abortion travel policy. Tuberville, for months, has blocked hundreds of military promotions over his objection to the agency’s abortion policy, which allows service members to take leave and provides travel reimbursements for those who need to travel to get an abortion.
The policy would fund those expenses for personnel stationed in states, such as Alabama, where abortion access is restricted. Tuberville has said he objects because Congress did not approve the use of taxpayer money.
According to Heritage Foundation, the new policy could lead to a massive increase in the annual number of abortions from approximately 20 to more than 4,000.
The billboards will be located in Huntsville, Montgomery, and near Fort Rucker in Alabama. They carry a simple message: “Senator Tuberville, thank you for standing for life and against wokeness in the military.”
Heritage is also running a digital ad campaign encouraging military veterans and the general public to sign a letter supporting Tuberville.
“There is no truth more profound than the fact that all human life is sacred,” the letter states. “The mission of the United States Military is to defend and protect all American lives—not subsidize the practice of destroying innocent and vulnerable American children via abortion with taxpayer dollars. By pledging to hold these nominations to the Department of Defense until administration officials reverse course, Senator Tuberville is doing a great service for the American people—including its service members.”
Tuberville’s efforts have been criticized by Senate Democrats, namely Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, who called the actions “outrageous” last month.
“He’s meddling with American security—all because he wants to block service members from accessing reproductive health care,” Schumer tweeted in late April.
Heritage Foundation praised Tuberville remaining “steadfast in his efforts to rescind the Pentagon’s policy.”
“It takes courage to stand up to the Washington establishment, and that’s exactly what Coach Tuberville is doing,” Heritage President Kevin Roberts said. “The Heritage Foundation is proud to stand alongside him and asks all U.S. senators to do the same until the Defense Department’s illegal abortion policy ends.”
Source: Al
