WASHINGTON—The Heritage Foundation is launching a signature drive for civilians and military veterans alike to show their support for Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s effort to rescind the Pentagon’s taxpayer-funded abortion policy. View and sign the letter at Heritage.org/Tuberville.
Thousands of U.S. military service members and veterans this week expressed their concerns with the Defense Department’s political agenda. Now others can add their name to the letter to show support for Tuberville as he uses his leverage to block the promotions of nearly 200 military generals and flag officers until the Pentagon stops subsidizing abortions.
Over the past several months, the Alabama Republican has faced ongoing and repeated attacks from Senate Democrats, who have resorted to unfounded claims and dire warnings. Instead of folding, Tuberville is holding strong. Now he’s hearing directly from service members and military veterans to hold the line.
“The American people, including its service members, are disappointed by President Biden and Secretary Austin’s recent decisions to mandate receipt of the COVID-19 vaccines, promote the radical LGBT agenda, and now subsidize abortion,” the letter says. “Because of these policies, the military now faces an unprecedented crisis of recruitment—missing its recruitment goal for the first time ever last year. The focus of our military must be on keeping the American people safe, not advancing the left-wing social agenda.”
The original letter includes 593 individual names—including Reps. Eli Crane, R-Ariz.; Andrew Clyde, R-Ga.; Ronny Jackson, R-Texas; and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla.—plus 32 endorsers and partners with the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, which represents the position of over 2,500 military chaplains.
“Thanks to the thousands of veterans who have shown their support,” Tuberville said of the letter. “The Biden administration keeps injecting politics in the military. That’s wrong. The Pentagon needs to get focused on its mission of protecting this country.”
Following the letter’s release Tuesday, veterans and active-duty members of the U.S. armed forces asked for a way to endorse Tuberville’s principled stand. Given the letter’s popularity—and Heritage’s steadfast support for Tuberville—it’s now possible for anyone to add their name.
One of the letter’s most noteworthy signers is retired Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin, the Family Research Council’s executive vice president. Boykin joined retired Lt. Col. James Jay Carafano, vice president of The Heritage Foundation’s Davis Institute for National Security Policy and E.W. Richardson fellow, to co-author a commentary this week. (Read their full op-ed at The Federalist.)
“Let’s be absolutely clear: The Pentagon’s new abortion policy has everything to do with activist politics and nothing to do with Congress’s obligation to raise and maintain armed forces to provide for the common defense,” Boykin and Carafano wrote.
“After the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs, Biden declared his intent to further his radical pro-abortion agenda through every means possible. In February, the Defense Department heeded his directive, circumventing Congress and issuing new policies that allow taxpayer funds to pay for abortions and to indemnify DOD staff who may violate state criminal protections of unborn life.”
