


The White House slammed Republicans on Thursday in a memo sent to "Interested parties," accusing GOP lawmakers of being silent on Sen. Tommy Tuberville's (R-AL) blockade of hundreds of military promotions.
"Right now, a Republican Senator is choosing to erode military readiness and abuse military families in the pursuit of an unrelated and extreme anti-freedom agenda – with barely a sound from his GOP colleagues," the memo, written by White House communications adviser Andrew Bates, reads.
FIVE CONTROVERSIAL AMENDMENTS COMPLICATING MCCARTHY'S JOB OF PASSING THE NDAA
Bates added that Tuberville is "exploiting service members as pawns" and "even subjecting the families who serve with members to excruciating uncertainty, like not knowing where children will go to school or where spouses can work."
While Biden and Democrats have chastised Tuberville for his protest, Thursday's memo paints the senator's blockade as a Republican action broader than one man's stance.
Tuberville’s grievance is with a Pentagon policy implemented this year that gives female service members stationed in states or overseas locations where abortion is banned paid leave and travel expenses to obtain abortions in states where they are still available.
His hold, blocking the routine promotions of some 260 general and flag officers, disrupts military readiness and will adversely affect the talent in the armed forces, Democrats, as well as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and President Joe Biden's nominee for the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Charles Q. Brown Jr., have argued.
But many on the right see the issue differently and have echoed Tuberville's sentiment. The way they see it, the true disrupter to the preparedness of the military are leftist policies that are more focused on cultural agendas than preparing the armed forces to protect the United States from its foes.
Bates lauded Biden's recent record in his text, extolling how "NATO is the biggest and strongest in its history," the economy is on an upswing, and "unauthorized border crossings are down."
Additionally, Bates made sure to admonish Republicans for certain hard-line stances in support of Russia, "trickle-down tax giveaways for rich special interests," and efforts to sabotage Biden's "successful" border strategy.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The memo comes as lawmakers consider their vote for the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes controversial Republican-backed amendments that many Democratic lawmakers have taken issue with, including reversing the very abortion travel policy that Tuberville is protesting.
Democrats were signaling this week that they would not vote for the bill as it stands, and Democratic House leadership confirmed that stance in a scathing letter released Thursday night.