Education Department Attacks Republicans, Touts Biden’s Agenda in Official Letter
The letter from Miguel Cardona potentially violates the Hatch Act, which prohibits partisan political activity by executive branch employees.The letter from Miguel Cardona potentially violates the Hatch Act, which prohibits partisan political activity by executive branch employees.Republican presses VA to stop flying Pride flag, requests removal of any 'flags promoting social policy positions or political statements'
Republican Rep. Mike Ezell of Mississippi has taken issue with an LGBT Pride flag being flown at a Mississippi Veterans Affairs facility.
In a letter to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough and Interim Medical Center Director of the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System Stephanie Repasky, Ezell contended that flags pushing political or social ideology should not be flown on VA premises.
\u201cOur VA facilities should be focused on serving our veterans, not promoting social or political causes. \n\nI take issue with ANY flag flying at a VA facility that promotes an agenda, including the pride flag at the Biloxi VA.\n\nRead the letter I sent to VA Secretary McDonough here\ud83d\udd3d\u201d— Congressman Mike Ezell (@Congressman Mike Ezell) 1685727996
"It has come to my attention that the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Harrison County, Mississippi (Biloxi VAMC), which is home to the Biloxi National Cemetery, is flying the rainbow pride flag at its front entrance. While I believe everyone should be treated with respect, I take serious issue with any flag flying at a VA facility that promotes social policy positions or political statements," he wrote.
"Our VA facilities should be focused on serving and providing quality care to our veterans, who deserve our utmost respect and admiration. These facilities should not be used as tools to promote any social or political agenda, and only government and military flags, such as POW/MIA flag and flags of the U.S. Armed Forces, should be flown or displayed alongside the American flag on VA property," Ezell declared. He concluded, "I am writing to request that this flag, and any other flags promoting social policy positions or political statements, be removed."
Biloxi VA adds rainbow flag to Pass Road display for Pride Month www.youtube.com
McDonough expressly supports displaying Pride flags at VA facilities. Last year, he authorized flying the controversial flag.
"Last June, I raised the Pride Flag at VA Central Office in Washington, D.C. This year, I authorized all VA-owned facilities to fly it for up to 30 days in June," McDonough tweeted in 2022.
On Friday, McDonough shared a photo of a Pride flag flying on a pole beneath an American flag and another flag. "Happy Pride to LGBTQ+ Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors! Your service, your sacrifice – even in the face of discrimination – will never be forgotten. Proud to fly the Pride flag over VA, and proud to serve you each and every day," he tweeted.
\u201cHappy Pride to LGBTQ+ Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors! Your service, your sacrifice \u2013 even in the face of discrimination \u2013 will never be forgotten.\n\nProud to fly the Pride flag over VA, and proud to serve you each and every day.\u201d— Secretary Denis McDonough (@Secretary Denis McDonough) 1685727657
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Parents scorch Biden's Education Sec. Cardona for claiming teachers know what's best for 'their' kids
United States Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona was roundly criticized after saying teachers, not parents, know what is best for 'their' kids.
"Teachers know what is best for their kids because they are with them every day. We must trust teachers," Sec. Cardona tweeted Friday.
\u201cTeachers know what is best for their kids because they are with them every day.\nWe must trust teachers.\u201d— Secretary Miguel Cardona (@Secretary Miguel Cardona) 1684527011
Responses criticizing the statement ranged from anger and disappointment to flat out mockery. The panning came from parents, politicians, presidential candidates, his predecessor, and many others.
"Parents know what is best for their kids because they raise them every day. We must trust parents. Fixed it for you, @SecCardona," wrote Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley, formerly South Carolina's governor.
\u201cParents know what is best for their kids because they raise them every day. We must trust parents.\n\nFixed it for you, @SecCardona.\u201d— Nikki Haley (@Nikki Haley) 1684533998
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who filed paperwork earlier this week to make a bid for the presidency, challenged the remark, saying "Whose kids?"
\u201cWhose kids?\u201d— Tim Scott (@Tim Scott) 1684533752
"I'll say it again: You misspelled parents," wrote Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Education during the Trump administration.
\u201cI'll say it again: You misspelled parents.\u201d— Betsy DeVos (@Betsy DeVos) 1684535441
"No, Mr. Secretary. Parents know what's best for their kids. We must trust parents," wrote Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.).
\u201cNo, Mr. Secretary. Parents know what\u2019s best for their kids.\nWe must trust parents!\u201d— Senator Pete Ricketts (@Senator Pete Ricketts) 1684543323
"I’m with my kids every day, every night, every weekend. I have been raising my son since conception. I’ve been raising my daughter since adoption. My husband and I know what is best for OUR kids. We can’t blindly trust teachers simply because they are teachers," said former American sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya, appending a #parents hashtag.
\u201cI\u2019m with my kids every day, every night, every weekend. I have been raising my son since conception. I\u2019ve been raising my daughter since adoption. My husband and I know what is best for OUR kids. We can\u2019t blindly trust teachers simply because they are teachers. #PARENTS\u201d— Michele Tafoya (@Michele Tafoya) 1684545369
"'Their kids.' Good lord," wrote political analyst Brit Hume.
A response from CatholicVote simply said "nope."
Many responses from lesser known accounts were quite blunt, and did not shy away from using some salty language to describe their feelings about the message.
Sec. Cardona's statement comes on the heels of a contentious Congressional hearing earlier this week addressing how and whether Title IX applies to transgender-identifying students.
GOP lawmakers at the hearing emphasized that Title IX is intended to ensure fairness for women and girls in sports, as ABC News reported.
"Would you say it'd be fair for me [at] anytime in this process, high school up until 30 years old, that I had a chance to box or wrestle with your daughter, competing with your daughter," asked Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah), a former professional football player.
"It's my responsibility and my privilege to make sure that all students have access," Sec. Cardona responded.
Other topics addressed in the House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing included Attorney General Merrick Garland's controversial 2021 memo about threats toward school board members, student loan debt plans, COVID school closures, and critical race theory in schools.
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Blinken raises eyebrows with wording of condemnation of 'harmful conversion therapy practices': 'Who's gonna tell him?'
In the LGBT activist calendar, Wednesday was reportedly the "International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia, and Transphobia," when celebrants reiterate their opposition to traditional views on sexuality.
Various elements of the Biden administration paid homage, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken. However, with his supportive statement, Blinken appears to have unwittingly prompted debate on whether sex-change mutilations and puberty blockers fall into the camp of the "harmful conversion therapies" leftists are otherwise keen to denounce.
Blinked shared an image of the LGBT activists' latest kaleidoscopic flag to Twitter with the message, "On International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia, and Transphobia we call for an end to harmful conversion therapy practices, including those that attempt to change a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics."
\u201cOn International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia, and Transphobia we call for an end to harmful conversion therapy practices, including those that attempt to change a person\u2019s sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics. #IDAHOBIT\u201d— Secretary Antony Blinken (@Secretary Antony Blinken) 1684354206
A version of this message appeared, albeit with additional context, on the State Department website, noting that "In keeping with the WHO’s determination, last year, President Biden directed the U.S. government to promote an end to so-called 'conversion therapy practices' around the world."
The statement stressed that "conversion therapy is a scientifically discredited practice that can cause significant physical and psychiatric harm, and in certain circumstances may amount to torture."
The State Department concluded, "We confirm that conversion therapy practices are inconsistent with U.S. nondiscrimination policies and ineligible for support through taxpayer-funded foreign assistance grants and contracts."
Critics highlighted the apparent inconsistency in the Biden administration's communications, noting that Blinken and other statist exponents of gender ideology saw fit to condemn efforts to transition individuals from one sexual orientation to another as well as efforts to change their "sex characteristics" and "gender identity" apparently only so long as the outcome of the therapies is more transsexuals, gays, or other rainbow-coalition constituents.
Mark Ousley, host of the "UnWokable Podcast" and gender ideology critic, highlighted Blinken's call for an "end to harmful conversion therapy practices, including those that attempt to change a person's ... sex characteristics," and wrote, "Who's gonna tell him?
Ousley said in a subsequent tweet that the level of "cognitive dissonance is actually impressive. Thanks for finally coming out against child mutilations and trans conversion therapy."
Rhyen Staley, who runs the Substack "The Reconnaissance," responded to Blinken's remarks with a question: "Does that mean the NIH will be ending its experimentation on children through chemical sterilization?"
Civil liberties attorney Jenin Younes wrote, "Wait, so conversion therapy- which uses just words- is bad because it attempts to change sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics— but hormones and surgery are good? Make it make sense."
One Twitter user was similarly taken aback and wondering, "So, you're against 'gender transition'?"
Jay Richards, director of the Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Life, Religion, and Family, wrote, "What about efforts to convert someone's body to match a made up thing called a gender identity? What about that? Or are bodies not real?"
Biden's transvestic assistant secretary of health R. Levine thanked Blinken for his post, sharing a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration document containing the claim at the center of the administration's illogic.
The document states that sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts "commonly referred to as 'conversion therapy' or 'reparative therapy,' are practices that aim to suppress or alter an individual's sexual orientation or gender to align with heterosexual orientation, cisgender identity, and/or stereotypical gender expression."
"SOGI change efforts do not include gender-affirming care. They do not include counseling that facilitates acceptance, social support, or open and affirming exploration and development of one's sexual or gender identity, including navigating sexual orientation and/or gender identity within the context of intersecting identities," adds the document, without providing a detailed justification the distinction.
In other words, it's only conversion therapy if normalcy is the aim.
Andrea Ens confirmed this understanding Monday in the Washington Post, noting that the unacceptable form of conversion therapy is that used as a "tool to eradicate LGBTQ activism."
Ostensibly without a sense of irony, in her brief history of unacceptable forms of conversion therapy, Ens wrote, "Medical practitioners thus recommended conversion therapies involving hormonal injections, surgery or intensive psychotherapy. Such interventions carried significant risks for patients."
This is the reasoning by which the Biden administration has come to simultaneously hold that detransitioning efforts (i.e., by transsexuals) amount to conversion therapy, but transitioning efforts do not.
Accordingly, the puberty blockers proven to have devastating, irreversible effects on children, sex-change genital mutilations, and other LGBT activist-supported conversion therapies, while harmful and, per Blinken's suggestion, a means to "change a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics," are not among those the Biden administration intended to condemn Wednesday.
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First-class passenger, desperate for a cocktail, allegedly 'tried to breach the cockpit,' forcing plane to make emergency landing
An "unruly" passenger aboard a recent American Eagle flight wound up on a Greyhound bus after she allegedly tried to open the cockpit door over a "Jack on the rocks."
On Wednesday afternoon, Tiffany Miles, 36, was one of many passengers on American Eagle Flight 3444, heading from Jacksonville, Florida, to Miles' hometown of Washington, D.C. During the flight, witnesses said Miles became "unruly" after a flight attendant informed her that there would be no alcohol served on the flight.
"I am already having high anxiety at this moment because we are almost an hour late," Miles later recalled, "and my shot that I took before was wearing off."
Miles claimed she had attempted to order the cocktail twice, to no avail. "I have anxiety. So, sometimes I need a cocktail to cool off and calm down," she insisted.
Reports indicate that after Miles was rebuffed for a drink a second time, she neither cooled off nor calmed down. She supposedly began traipsing about the cabin and, at some point, made a move toward the front of the plane. She claimed she was headed for the restroom, but the flight crew claimed she tried to charge the cockpit.
Miles "tried to breach the cockpit," one of the flight officers radioed to Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority Police, and she had to be "somewhat restrained by the flight crew and other passengers."
The captain eventually decided to make an emergency landing at the Raleigh-Durham Airport at around 3:30 p.m., and crew members kept Miles in the back of the plane with her hands bound by a zip tie until they landed.
"I started freaking out because so many people started getting up on me," Miles later explained. "I started freaking completely out, saying, 'This is not called for.'"
FBI agents were waiting for Miles when the plane landed, and they did question her. However, she has not yet been charged with any federal crime. She was charged with the local crime of misdemeanor airport obstruction. After a brief detention, she paid the $1,000 bond and hopped a Greyhound bus to D.C. She is scheduled to appear in a Wake County courtroom on March 27.
Miles has been permanently banned from flying out of RDU, she said. She added that she does not want any flight personnel fired for their actions that day, but she does want them to be given additional training.
American Airlines, which owns American Eagle, released a statement following the incident: "Safety and security are our top priorities, and we thank our customers for their cooperation and our team members for their professionalism in managing a difficult situation."
Reports of the incident even made their way all the way up to the president's Cabinet. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted on Wednesday evening that he had been "briefed" about "a Level 4 disruption on board" and the subsequent diversion to Raleigh. The FAA defines a Level 4 disruption as an "attempted or actual breach of the flight deck," the New York Post said.
\u201cFAA leadership has briefed me on today\u2019s flight diversion due to a Level 4 disruption on board. Thankful to all who helped ensure its safe arrival. As always, safety is our main concern and our top priority.\u201d— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@Secretary Pete Buttigieg) 1677120324
"I am allowed to get upset," Miles asserted. "Getting angry is not against the law."
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Joe Rogan slams Buttigieg for his remarks about white construction workers and disinterest in the ecological disaster in East Palestine
Joe Rogan called out Pete Buttigieg for suffering a "profound lack of understanding" after the transportation secretary implied there were too many white people on construction sites in America and dawdled in addressing the ecological disaster that rocked East Palestine, Ohio.
The podcaster's rebuke, offered on the Feb. 15 episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience," which featured Spectator columnist Bridget Phetasy, appeared to strike both at Buttigieg's and the Biden administration's prioritization of phantasmal social issues over dire realities faced by American citizens.
What are the details?
Until Monday, Buttigieg refrained from speaking publicly about the catastrophe that unfolded Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio. While the derailment of a train comprising 150 cars and containing toxic materials may have been of interest to the transportation secretary, who oversees the Federal Railroad Administration, Buttigieg waited ten days to address the matter.
He did not appear to do so, however, until first seizing upon an opportunity to decry the a lack of diversity in construction.
The transportation secretary told the National Association of Counties Conference, "We have heard way too many stories from generations past of infrastructure where you got a neighborhood, often a neighborhood of color, that finally sees the project come to them, but everyone in the hard hats on that project, doing the good paying jobs, don't look like they came from anywhere near the neighborhood."
\u201cButtigieg made no mention of the Ohio train derailment while speaking at a conference this morning but did find the time to say that there are too many white people who work construction.\u201d— Greg Price (@Greg Price) 1676307025
Buttigieg's remarks echoed sentiments he previously expressed, including the notion that American highways were "racist."
After advancing the borderline segregationist claim Monday that workers' races should match the racial composition of the neighborhoods in which they are employed, Buttigieg finally opined on the derailment in Ohio, suggesting he would "continue to be concerned about the impacts" in a Twitter post.
\u201cI continue to be concerned about the impacts of the Feb 3 train derailment near East Palestine, OH, and the effects on families in the ten days since their lives were upended through no fault of their own. It\u2019s important that families have access to useful & accurate information:\u201d— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@Secretary Pete Buttigieg) 1676337892
Besides Buttigieg's delay in tackling a disaster that unfolded under his purview — the kind of disaster his direct reports were tasked with helping to prevent — Rogan took issue with the Democratic official's alleged dearth of understanding about skilled labor.
"Do you know that he gave a speech the other day about how there’s too many white people working in construction sites, where these construction sites are set up in these communities, where the people in the community could benefit from it, which shows a profound lack of understanding of skilled labor," Rogan told Phetasy.
"Because if you’re talking about people that are carpenters, people that are plumbers, and people that are electricians, and people that are framers, roofers, like that’s skilled labor. You have to hire people that are really good at that, and if they don’t exist in that community, you have to hire them from outside that community," said Rogan. "That's why those unions are important, that's why it's important that, look, if you see what happens when you have unskilled labor and unskilled people working on buildings, you have f***ing disasters."
Rogan slammed more than Buttigieg's intimation that workers' immutable characteristics, not their skills, are of paramount concern.
"The fact that he talked about that, and he didn't talk about this derailment, this derailment should be, but the derailment's a colossal failure on the part of the Transportation Department," said the podcaster.
Joe Rogan has long been antipathetic to the Biden administration's transportation secretary.
In 2021, again in conversation with Phetasy, Rogan ridiculed Pete Buttigieg for taking paternity leave to sloth around with the child he and his "husband" adopted.
In response to Phetasy's claim that some European nations were normalizing protracted paternity leaves for fathers, Rogan said, "We’re not in Europe, and for America, this is a new concept. … When someone in government, who is a man, who didn’t give birth, and there is two of them, and they both are off work and they get free money ... what happens?"
Fox News Digital noted that Rogan is not alone in questioning Buttigieg's apparent trend of sporadic absenteeism.
East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway was asked by a resident at a town hall on Wednesday where the transportation secretary had been during the crisis. He replied, "I don't know. Your guess is as good as me."
East Palestine Train Derailment: Aftermath of the Ohio Chemical Spill youtu.be
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Woke Pentagon to pay travel costs for service members to get abortions
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a memo calling for the Pentagon to create travel allowances for service members to travel for so-called "reproductive health care" that is unavailable in their areas, which means that soldiers' abortion-related travel would be funded by hard-working American taxpayers.
The memo calls for the DOD to "Establish travel and transportation allowances for Service members and their dependents, as appropriate and consistent with applicable federal law and operational requirements, and as necessary amend any applicable travel regulations, to facilitate official travel to access noncovered reproductive health care that is unavailable within the local area of a Service member's permanent duty station."
\u201c1/\nThe SCOTUS ruling on reproductive health has real readiness, recruiting, & retention implications for the Force. We've heard concerns from many of our people about the uncertainty they now face in accessing reproductive health care, including abortion services.\u201d— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III) 1666293393
The move is a response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision earlier this year that returned to the states the authority to determine how to handle the issue of abortion and whether to ban the practice. Some states have banned most abortions.
"Since the Supreme Court's decision, we have heard concerns from many of our Service members and their families about the complexity and the uncertainty that they now face in accessing reproductive health care, including abortion services," Austin wrote.
"Our Service members and their families are often required to travel or move to meet our staffing, operational, and training requirements. Such moves should not limit their access to reproductive health care. The practical effects of recent changes are that significant numbers of Service members and their families may be forced to travel greater distances, take more time off from work, and pay more out of pocket expenses to receive reproductive health care. In my judgment, such effects qualify as unusual, extraordinary, hardship, or emergency circumstances for Service members and their dependents and will interfere with our ability to recruit, retain, and maintain the readiness of a highly qualified force," Austin claimed in the memo.
As inflation takes a bite out of Americans' finances, US continues spending big bucks to help Ukraine beat back Russian invasion
As Americans endure the painful financial consequences of raging inflation, the U.S. continues spending massive sums of money to help Ukraine defend itself against a brutal Russian invasion.
"President Biden has been clear we will support the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes," Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted in a Thursday statement.
"Pursuant to a delegation of authority from the President, I am authorizing our twenty-first drawdown of U.S. arms and equipment for Ukraine since September 2021. This $600 million drawdown includes additional arms, munitions, and equipment from U.S. Department of Defense inventories. This drawdown will bring the total U.S. military assistance for Ukraine to approximately $15.8 billion since the beginning of this Administration," Blinken said.
\u201cI have directed another $600 million drawdown to expedite our 21st shipment of arms and equipment from @DeptofDefense inventories to Ukraine, as its defenders push back Russian invasion forces. The United States stands #UnitedWithUkraine.\u201d— Secretary Antony Blinken (@Secretary Antony Blinken) 1663290930
Earlier this week, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released a consumer price index report that showed inflation remains quite hot in the U.S. "The all items index increased 8.3 percent for the 12 months ending August, a smaller figure than the 8.5- percent increase for the period ending July," the BLS noted.
In a tweet on Sunday, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia noted that she has not spoken to anyone advocating for the U.S. to shell out billions more for Ukraine. "I have not talked to a single person asking to send more billions to Ukraine. Not one," she tweeted.
GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky responded by noting, "All calls and conversations I've had are with people who want us to stop sending their money to Ukraine."
\u201cAll calls and conversations I\u2019ve had are with people who want us to stop sending their money to Ukraine.\u201d— Thomas Massie (@Thomas Massie) 1662915335
"No country is entitled to receive tax dollars from hard working Americans," Massie tweeted on Monday. "But what about country _______ ? Send them your own money."
\u201cNo country is entitled to receive tax dollars from hard working Americans.\n\nBut what about country _______ ?\n\nSend them your own money.\u201d— Thomas Massie (@Thomas Massie) 1662983540
Some lawmakers have been pushing for the U.S. to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who along with Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut introduced a measure to do just that, has called Russian President Vladimir Putin "a terrorist." Currently, the only nations deemed state sponsors of terrorism include Iran, Syria, Cuba, and North Korea.
Department of Transportation launches online dashboard to help travelers navigate flight delays and cancellations
In response to massive numbers of flight cancellations and delays, the Department of Transportation announced a new online dashboard for travelers on Thursday.
The Associated Press reported that the dashboard would allow travelers to compare refunds and compensation offered by carriers for flight delays or cancellations. The online dashboard will provide users with information about which domestic airlines offer the best options to ensure a smoother travel experience.
"Throughout 2022, Americans have experienced an unacceptable level of flight delays and cancellations," stated a Thursday press release issued by the Department of Transportation.
An estimated 150,000 flights have been canceled so far this year, reported FlightAware's reporting system. In addition, approximately 21% of all scheduled flights this year had been delayed.
"The dashboard provides air travelers a one-stop location to obtain information on the services and amenities they should receive from airlines if they experience delays or cancellations caused by something within the airline's control like a mechanical or staffing issue," wrote the DOT.
The new tool is meant to give users more control over their travel experience and a transparent way to check airline policies. It displays the various major airlines and their "commitments for controllable cancellations." The dashboard shows which carriers will provide free rebooking options on the same or other airlines, a meal when a cancellation results in a significant delay, and hotel accommodations for canceled flights.
The dashboard is designed to protect customers from interruptions due to staffing shortages and mechanical issues. It does not include airline policies related to weather disruptions or other uncontrollable events.
The Department of Transportation expressed hope that the new dashboard will encourage domestic airlines to compete and provide superior service to travelers.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg put pressure on airlines to improve their customer service and provide reasonable solutions to the mass cancellations and delays plaguing traveler plans.
"Passengers deserve transparency and clarity on what to expect from an airline when there is a cancellation or disruption," said Buttigieg. "This dashboard collects that information in one place so travelers can easily understand their rights, compare airline practices, and make informed decisions. The Department will continue to support passengers and to hold airlines responsible for adhering to their customer obligations."
\u201cFor the first time, @USDOT is providing consumers with a comparative look at what the top airlines have committed to when your flight is canceled or delayed because of an airline issue.\u201d— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@Secretary Pete Buttigieg) 1662048093
The DOT stated, "Secretary Buttigieg wrote a letter to airline CEOs informing them that DOT would publish the dashboard before Labor Day and urged the airlines to improve their customer service plans before the release. As a result, all but one of the ten largest U.S. airlines made significant changes to their plans to improve services provided to passengers when their flights are canceled or delayed because of an airline issue."
Defense Secretary Austin says the US Defense Department aims to keep providing 'seamless access to reproductive health care as permitted by federal law'
In a statement responding to the Supreme Court's move to strike downRoe v. Wade, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin declared that the Department of Defense is assessing its policies to make sure it keeps providing "seamless access to reproductive health care as permitted by federal law."
"Nothing is more important to me or to this Department than the health and well-being of our Service members, the civilian workforce and DOD families," Austin said in a statement. "I am committed to taking care of our people and ensuring the readiness and resilience of our Force. The Department is examining this decision closely and evaluating our policies to ensure we continue to provide seamless access to reproductive health care as permitted by federal law."
\u201cThe Department is examining this decision closely and evaluating our policies to ensure we continue to provide seamless access to reproductive health care as permitted by federal law.\u201d— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III) 1656092731
The Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe means that states can now ban abortions.
A previously leaked draft opinion had revealed that the high court was poised to reject Roe, and last month, liberal lawmakers urged Austin to ensure that service members would be able to travel to get abortions if the high court issued such a ruling.
"If the opinion goes into effect, hundreds of thousands of troops, dependents, and DOD civilians will lose access to safe abortions and potentially face criminal prosecution for exercising a fundamental human right—creating a scenario where servicemembers' reproductive and healthcare rights would become dependent on their duty station," the senators said in the letter.
"At a minimum, you and your staff should consider implementing policy changes to allow servicemembers to obtain, for example, special liberty or permissive temporary additional duty permissions in order to travel out of state for reproductive healthcare and abortions if they are stationed in a jurisdiction that curtails these rights after the Dobbs decision is issued," the lawmakers declared.
While the ruling represents a tremendous victory for the pro-life movement, Democrats have been in an uproar, with many claiming that the decision marks a "dark day" for the country.
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