Lindsey Graham Accuses Fellow Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of ‘Doing Great Damage to Our Military’

Graham delivered a sharp rebuke of Tuberville on the Senate floor Wednesday, lashing out at him for blocking hundreds of military nominations in protest of a Pentagon abortion policy

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham lashed out at fellow Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville on Wednesday for blocking hundreds of military nominations from moving forward in protest of a Pentagon abortion policy.

Tuberville, an Alabama Republican who joined Congress in 2021, has been blocking the approval of more than 300 military nominations over a Pentagon policy that reimburses the out-of-state travel costs for service members seeking abortions.

On Wednesday, Tuberville defended his actions, saying it was about "the right to life." Graham, in response, castigated Tuberville's actions in a strongly worded speech on the Senate floor.

"Let me respond to my colleague respectfully,” Graham said. “We have courts. If you think they’ve done something illegal, go to court. That’s how you handle these things.”

Graham then held up a photo of one of the nominees whose confirmation has been denied by Tuberville's actions.

“You’ve just denied this lady a promotion,” Graham said. “You did that. All of us are ready to promote her because she deserves to be promoted. She had nothing to do with this policy. Let me say it again: Everybody in this body could find an issue with any administration they don’t agree with. And what we’re going to do is open up Pandora’s box.”

Elsewhere in his speech, Graham said: “No matter whether you believe it or not, Senator Tuberville, this is doing great damage to our military. I don’t say that lightly. I've been trying to work with you for nine months."

Related: A Republican Senator's Anti-Abortion Protest Has Left the Marines Without a Confirmed Leader for First Time in 150 Years

Graham then expressed fears that Tuberville's hold-up could lead to nominees leaving the military. "There are some people that are waiting to be promoted that, if they don't get promoted soon, they're going to be out of the military," he said.

While military confirmations are generally a seamless process, 69-year-old Tuberville has threatened not to confirm anyone until the Department of Defense stops offering leave and travel funds for those seeking reproductive healthcare.

The provision that Tuberville is protesting, which was implemented after the 2022 reversal of Roe v. Wade, is one of several new policies for service members seeking access to reproductive health care, and allows for the coverage of some travel costs for service members seeking abortions and taking up to 21 days off to recover from such a procedure.

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Graham was not alone in his condemnation of Tuberville on Wednesday, with other Republicans also noting that the block of military confirmations comes at a cost to the service members themselves, as well as U.S. national security.

“Why are we putting holds on war heroes?” Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska asked, per the Associated Press. “I don’t understand.”

Sullivan also touched on the fact that Tuberville's hold on nominations comes at a time of escalating tensions between the U.S. and China, saying, “China is smiling” as the nominations remain stymied. “As an American, it almost wants to make you weep.”

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