Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is "aiding and abetting" autocratic and communist regimes with his continuing hold on military nominations, the Secretary of the Navy insisted on Tuesday.
Carlos Del Toro joined a panel on CNN’s "The Lead with Jake Tapper" alongside Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall where they discussed Tuberville’s refusal to release his hold in protest of the Pentagon’s abortion policies.
Del Toro, who was born in Cuba, suggested that this action not only impacts morale in the military but empowers America’s enemies in "communist and other autocratic regimes."
"You know, Jake, for somebody, and forgive me, for someone who was born in a communist country, I would have never imagined that actually one of our own senators would actually be aiding and abetting communist and other autocratic regimes around the world," Del Toro said. "This is having a real negative impact and will continue to have a real negative impact on our combat readiness. And that’s what the American people truly need to understand."
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Kendall agreed that the situation is "much more serious" than people realize.
"Our potential adversaries are paying attention. It is affecting how they view the United States and our military capabilities and support for the military. This needs to stop," Kendall said.
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Tuberville announced his hold on President Biden's Department of Defense nominees in February in protest of the Pentagon’s new policy allowing the reimbursement of travel costs and paid time off for service members traveling for abortions. This policy, the senator insisted, violates the Hyde Amendment which restricts the use of federal funds to cover the cost of abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is in danger.
Months later, Tuberville has maintained his stance in blocking nominees.
"I warned the Pentagon that I would hold their most senior nominees if they broke the law," Tuberville said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital in August.
"They did it anyway, and forced my hand. Since then, Chuck Schumer and the Biden administration have refused any serious negotiations, and so this situation has dragged on," the statement continued.
Tuberville’s hold prevents the Senate from quickly approving large groups of Biden’s nominees by unanimous consent as usual. Defense Department nominees now require a formal Senate vote.
Tuberville has not shown signs of ending his hold and has repeatedly insisted that he will only relent after the Pentagon ends its new abortion policies.
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"It ends when the Biden administration stops their illegal use of taxpayer dollars to facilitate abortion. Coach would lift the hold immediately in such a scenario," Tuberville's office added in the August statement.
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