Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said Tuesday that he is "not going to change" his mind before the Senate starts a four-week recess on Aug. 8 regarding his block of military promotions.
His stance is in defiance of the Pentagon's abortion policy, which pays for the travel expenses of service members who seek abortions in other states.
"No, I'm not going to change my mind," Tuberville told The Hill. "First of all, I've had almost zero communication with the White House."
Tuberville began his hold on the promotions in March following the new Pentagon policy announced by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austi . Tuberville maintains the policy violates the Hyde Amendment, which restricts federally funded abortions under major federal healthcare programs, with exceptions for rape and incest and where the life of the mother is in danger.
Tuberville's maneuver forces the Senate to hold a cloture vote on each promotion, requiring 60 votes to break his hold. With Democrats holding a slim two-seat majority in the Senate, Tuberville has put the promotion process at a standstill.
"There's nobody more for our military than me, but I do not want our military to turn into a woke political military," Tuberville said. "Our military is not [a] union for a reason. It's not an equal opportunity employer, either. It's for people that want to protect and defend the United States of America and its allies.
"If [the Pentagon] really cared about readiness and the things that really need to be happening with our military, they'd change this [policy] back in five minutes."
He said the hold on promotion could last for many weeks. The Senate will return from its break on Sept. 6.
"They better start talking," he said of senior White House officials. "It could go a long time if somebody doesn't start the conversation."
He said he liked the language included in the National Defense Authorization Act passed by the House that would bar the Defense Department from reimbursing service members who travel to obtain abortions. The NDAA, the Pentagon's fiscal year budget, is now being taken up by the Senate.
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