Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville has described the U.S. military as the weakest it has ever been during his lifetime, which he blames on wokeness being implemented under the Biden administration.
Speaking to Newsmax’s Eric Bolling, Tuberville criticized the $114 million requested by the Pentagon for its diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) programs for the fiscal year 2024. The senator also spoke of the now-repealed COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all serving service members, as another reason why the U.S. military is a complete disaster.
The comments from Tuberville, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee but has never served in the military, have been criticized. The senator is blocking hundreds of military nominations and promotions in protest at a Pentagon policy of reimbursing travel costs for service members seeking an abortion. The policy was put in place in the wake of the Supreme Court voting to overturn Roe vs. Wade in June 2022.
“$114 million on diversity training, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Tuberville said on Eric Bolling The Balance.
“We’ve got the weakest military that we’ve had in probably my lifetime,” Tuberville added. “Infiltrating our military is all this wokeness, and it’s coming from the top, coming from Joe Biden, coming from Secretary of Defense [Lloyd] Austin. It’s coming from [former Joint Chiefs Chair General Mark] Milley, who is recently gone. It’s a disaster.
“They can’t get anybody to join the military. They’re begging people to come back that left because they didn’t take the vaccine. We’re in huge trouble. Our country is in huge trouble.”
The COVID-19 vaccine mandate for military personnel was rescinded in January 2023. A CNN report in October found that 43 of the more than 8,000 U.S. service members who were discharged for refusing to be vaccinated applied to rejoin the military after the rules were lifted.
“People better wake up and see what’s going on. It is a disaster. What’s going on just in our country, and then you, as you brought up, Israel is a mess. The Middle East, Ukraine is a mess. We’re spending money right and left,” Tuberville added.
“It is a complete disaster that the Biden administration has self-inflicted on the American taxpayer.” Newsweek emailed Tuberville for comment on Tuesday.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) speaks to members of the press at the U.S. Capitol on November 15, 2023 in Washington, DC. The senator has described the U.S. military as the weakest it has been during his lifetime.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Alexander Vindman is the former U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and whistleblower whose testimony led to Donald Trump’s first impeachment. Vindman was one of those who condemned Tuberville’s comments while noting his months-long blockade of military promotions.
“I agree with you Tuberville. The US military is weakened. But not by ‘wokeness,’ it is weakened by your attacks, obstruction of military promotions, & your serving our enemy’s interests,” Vindman posted on X, formerly Twitter. He shared a clip of the senator’s interview. “Despite you the US military remains the most powerful force in the world!”
Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican congressman who served in the Air Force, added: “Tuberville is an idiot, wrong, and obviously doesn’t understand the absolute lethality of the US military. Come on Alabama do better.”
Tuberville’s abortion protest has been met with outcry from both Democratic and GOP senators.
South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham urged the Alabama Republican to end his blanket ban of routine military promotions. He said that it is one of the “worst self-inflicted wounds in 20 years” in a recent speech on the Senate floor.
In a “dear colleagues” letter sent on Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that Democrats are taking steps to “swiftly confirm the hundreds of highly qualified and dedicated military leaders” currently being held up by Tuberville by the end of the year.
The move may be possible after the Democrat-controlled Senate Rule Committee voted to circumvent what Schumer said is an “extreme and unprecedented obstruction” from Tuberville.
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