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Floor Speech

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Mr. TUBERVILLE. Madam President, reserving the right.

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Mr. TUBERVILLE. Madam President, I want to thank my friends from the House for their support today. But the question today is, What kind of Nation do we want to be? This debate speaks to the moral fabric of our society.

We boast the most powerful military in the history of the world. The purpose of that military is for the strongest among us to protect the weak.

In America, those with the broadest shoulders guard those with the narrowest. Yet the Biden administration wants to mobilize our military against the weakest and the most defenseless--the unborn. I believe that is wrong. It is immoral.

My colleague has described an abortion as just another medical procedure. He mentioned Lasik. He also talked about bunions.

The children of our Nation are not just another routine medical procedure. That is why I am standing here to object.

For 40 years, we have had a bipartisan agreement--40 years. Americans may have different views about abortion, but the majority of this country believes that taxpayers should not have to fund abortions. Secretary Austin blew up 40 years of tradition, an agreement, by just one memo--one memo. There was no debate in the Senate. There was no vote in the House. And here is why. They didn't have the votes. This administration couldn't change abortion laws here in the Senate or the House, so they wrote a memo.

Our Cabinet Secretaries aren't supposed to be politicians. They are there to uphold and enforce the laws made in this building. Yet Secretary Austin is the most political Secretary of Defense we have ever seen.

I am glad to hear Senator Warren got her prompt reply from Secretary Austin this week. As I recall, she made her request on April 6. She got a response a month later. That is certainly not the kind of treatment I have received from the Pentagon. Maybe it has got something to do with my political party.

Nearly a year ago I joined 12 other Republicans in a letter to Secretary Austin, this past July. We asked the Secretary to substantiate the comment he made about abortions being necessary for military readiness. We are still waiting for a reply.

In November, we sent the Department another letter. This time it was just asking for a short and small briefing--just a briefing. That is all we were asking for. We heard they were going to move forward with an abortion policy that was illegal. Secretary Austin did not reply.

In December, I informed Secretary Austin in writing that I would hold his highest nominees if he went forward with this unlawful abortion policy. Well, in February, Secretary Austin implemented that policy, so I kept my word. The very next day, we put a hold on his nominees.

You know, I didn't get a phone call from Secretary Austin until 1 month after I put the hold into effect--1 month. During the call, he offered me absolutely no compromise. He didn't offer to meet or discuss. Unlike Senator Warren, since then, I have heard nothing from Secretary Austin except what he has said about me--the things that are pretty negative--in Armed Services Committee hearings.

Ten months into this dispute, the Pentagon and I are still waiting for one single fact to support this argument--one single fact.

I read Secretary Austin's letter to Senator Warren. It is long on opinions, short on facts. I also read the boilerplate letter signed by the former Secretaries of Defense that were put out this week. It reads like a Democrat press release. The letter simply repeats the same unsubstantiated claims made by Senator Warren, Senator Bennet, and Senator Schumer. Frankly, I think these letters vindicate my opinion. These letters were part of a coordinated effort by the Democrats to use the authority and the prestige of the Secretary of Defense to distract from the facts. Frankly, I don't think that will work either.

The Biden administration has done everything possible to turn our military into just one more institution for leftwing social engineering. Well, for all of history, Secretary Austin will be the Defense Secretary who oversaw America's worst military defeat since Vietnam.

The Senator from Colorado has twice now accused me of mischaracterizing what he did just a few months ago. My goal is to end an illegal abuse of taxpayer funds. That is what we are trying to do here today.

Senator Bennet's hold was so he could get a meeting with Secretary Austin. So how did Senator Bennet's threatened hold end? Senator Bennet got what he wanted. Senator Bennet got his meeting with the Secretary of Defense. Again, this is more than I received.

So let's remember what I am asking for. I am asking for the Pentagon to drop a policy that is illegal. I am asking Secretary Austin to do his job and follow the law. I understand that Senator Bennet is a strong supporter of abortion. That is all understood. But if he wants this abortion policy, then let's pass a bill.

But it hasn't been done that way. Democrats know that they can't get that done. They know they don't have the votes. The burden is not on me to pass legislation to stop this illegal policy. That is not my job. The burden is on the administration to stop breaking the law.

I am glad that Senator Warren is concerned about our military readiness. Maybe she will actually vote for this year's Defense bill. She hasn't voted for it since 2017. Senator Warren has a long history of holding military leadership nominations--a long history. In fact, she held the nomination of one of our witnesses at the most recent Armed Services Committee hearing, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall. This was the same witness she asked about my hold, was it a big problem? Senator Warren has held his nomination several times. And guess what. She got what she wanted from the Pentagon, just like Senator Bennet with his hold on military nominations.

So I am glad Senator Warren is concerned about military readiness. It excites me that she is excited about the military. Maybe now Senator Warren and Senator Schumer will support funding our military at a level necessary to actually win a war. That is something else that they have resisted doing throughout their long careers in Washington.

If Democrats were actually concerned about readiness, then we would be voting. The U.S. Senate has had more than 30 days off already this year. If we want to pass this, let's vote. But we have had 30 days off. That is not including the weekends. The rhetoric just doesn't match the reality of how this is being handled.

This is more than enough time for us to have confirmed literally all the nominations we have been talking about. We could have already done this, taking them one at a time. This could have been done. Yet that is not what we are doing.

This week, we are having another 3-day workweek. We are getting ready to go on recess 8 days from now. If my Democratic colleagues actually were concerned, then we would be voting on these nominations.

And if Secretary Austin is so worried he can't live without these nominees, he can suspend his memo. That is all he has to do. Drop your memo, and these nominees will proceed by unanimous consent. I am a man of my word. I will stand down.

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