Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III is facing intense scrutiny over his failure to disclose an extensive hospitalization and incapacitation.
Thursday on WVNN’s “The Yaffee Program,” Dr. Casey Wardynski, who served as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs under President Trump, said the situation is gravely concerning.
“If you cannot participate in nuclear command and control, which is an essential function, that’s a huge gap in the chain of command that couldn’t be filled,” Wardynski said. “And you’ve got the Deputy [Secretary of Defense] off in I think was Puerto Rico on vacation who didn’t even know he was incapacitated. So clearly there was no delegation of authority, and that’s just a big deal and it’s dereliction of duty.”
Wardyski believes this is just the latest example of incompetence from the Biden administration.
“Frankly that all flows from the way elected leaders behave,” he argued. “We probably have an incapacity of the President for months if not years now. We have a 25th Amendment to deal with that, but clearly we’ve got a failed government running our country. And my guess is with the [Secretary of Defense] and you look at that, I don’t know why he would tell [Biden] anyway, because there’s nobody home over there.”
He said this was not how things operated in the Trump administration.
RELATED: Mike Rogers launches formal inquiry into Sec. Austin’s secret hospitalization
“They knew where I was all the time,” he explained, “and I was probably 42nd in line to be Secretary of Defense if something happened in Washington…These people know where the [Secretary of Defense] is all the time, they know where the Deputy [Secretary of Defense] is all the time, they know where the President is all the time…maybe the White House has inculcated a culture where it’s just not that important to hear from Austin on a daily basis or know where the hell he is.”
Wardynski said he’s not sure if Austin will eventually have to resign over the situation.
“If they get rid of Austin, they’re probably not going to get a new Secretary of Defense,” he said. “I think he’s terrible, but they’d probably find somebody worse. I think it really is a reflection on the President, and Austin could be the guy who catches the bullet, but this all goes back to the guy who the hell is running this country. I’m not sure who it is. Notionally it’s Biden, and he’s built a government where this is not abnormal.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” Weekdays 9-11am on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville believes the policies of the Biden administration are possibly leading America into another world war.
“We’re on the brink of WW3,” Tuberville (R-Auburn) said on X. “Brought to you by the [Joe Biden] Administration that released sanctions on Iran and then sent them $6 billion…while
[the Secretary of Defense] is unknowingly in the ICU.”
We're on the brink of WW3.
Brought to you by the @JoeBiden Administration that released sanctions on Iran and then sent them $6 billion…while @SecDef is unknowingly in the ICU.
"Though little discussed by the #Biden administration, the Iranian nuclear program has suddenly…
— Tommy Tuberville (@TTuberville) January 8, 2024
The senator was reacting to reports of of the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin failing to inform the White House of being hospitalized in the ICU. Austin was reportedly hospitalized on Monday, but it was not made public until Friday.
Tuberville, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, then quoted a New York Times report detailing Iran’s expansion of its nuclear program in recent weeks.
“Though little discussed by the Biden administration, the Iranian nuclear program has suddenly been put on steroids,” the report said. “International inspectors announced in late December that Iran initiated a threefold increase in its enrichment of near-bomb-grade uranium. By most rough estimates, Iran now has the fuel for at least three atomic weapons — and American intelligence officials believe the additional enrichment needed to turn that fuel into bomb-grade material would take only a few weeks.”
According to POLITICO, Austin is not planning to resign over the controversy and Biden was not going to accept the resignation if he did.
“He remains focused on conducting his duties as secretary of Defense in defense of our nation,” DOD spokesperson Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said to reporters Monday.
Tuberville said the scandal is just another example of Biden not holding his own people accountable.
“There is ZERO accountability in this Administration,” Tuberville argued. “None.”
There is ZERO accountability in this Administration. None. https://t.co/ClamuPsjqz
— Tommy Tuberville (@TTuberville) January 8, 2024
Austin is a retired U.S. Army four star general who is originally from Mobile, Alabama and graduated from the University of Auburn in 1986.
Will @SecDef be held accountable by @POTUS? Doubtful. Biden is too busy screaming about January 6th and "defending democracy" to sack his #SECDEF and ruin the media cycle. https://t.co/1EsNaLUf5C
— Tommy Tuberville (@TTuberville) January 7, 2024
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville said President Joe Biden’s border policies could result in future terror attacks in America.
The House Homeland Security Committee released transcripts this week of depositions with Border Patrol Chiefs claiming they have seen an “unprecedented surge” in illegal immigrants coming to the U.S. in 2023.
Tuberville (R-Auburn) reacted to the news on Monday’s edition of Newsmax TV’s “The Balance.”
“We’ve had hundreds and hundreds of terrorists come across the border, and you know what? We could care less, not we, but the Biden administration,” Tuberville said. “It is going to get us into so much trouble. We’re going to have a 9/11 attack every few weeks if we don’t watch it.
“It is out of control, but this group could care less.”
The senator said the Biden administration should have changed its border policies after the terrorist attack in Israel by Hamas.
“What happened in Israel and Hamas,” he said, “that catastrophe going on over there, when that happened Joe Biden should have woke up and called Secretary Austin and said, ‘Ok, send every available personnel to the border immediately. Close it down. Nobody else comes in.'”
Tuberville also said there isn’t enough urgency from most members of Congress to fix the problem.
“I’m up here watching what’s going on and I’m thinking, ‘Who cares? Who cares about the American people? Who cares about the taxpayers of this country?’ I can’t find anybody, on both sides of the aisle,” he said. “It’s about spending damn money and I’m sick of it. I’m telling you, I’m sick of it. I’m sick of watching what’s going on up here and if we don’t wake up it’s going to be over.”
. @JoeBiden’s border crisis is the worst in American history – by far.
CBP is overwhelmed, and deadly drugs are pouring into our communities.
We need to secure our border now.
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) November 24, 2023
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville is speaking out after five of his Republican colleagues in the Senate attempted to get around his holds on military promotions Wednesday night.
Tuberville (R-Auburn) stood and objected to each nominee for four hours as he continues to place a hold on military promotions over the Biden administration’s abortion policy for servicemembers.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham blasted Tuberville after he objected to one of the nominees.
“You’ve just denied this lady a promotion,” Graham (R-S.C.) 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.”
U.S. Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) joined Graham in arguing against Tuberville’s stance.
GOP Sen. Sullivan on Tuberville’s attacks against the U.S. military: The idea that these officers are supposedly ‘woke’ or ’desk jockeys’ is ridiculous. These are some of the most combat-experienced generals and admirals we’ve ever had in our country pic.twitter.com/gI9u8aDaLX
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) November 1, 2023
After the Senate wrapped up around 11 p.m., Tuberville explained to CNN’s Manu Raju why he believes the holds are still necessary.
“It’s the only way I can get their attention,” Tuberville said. “I’ve told you all along I hate to have to do this but somebody has got to listen to us, ok? I work for the people of this country. I don’t work for a senator or a president, I work for the taxpayers of this country. We’ve polled everybody, 60% of the Democrats and Republicans do not want to pay for abortion. They don’t want their money to go to it. So this is not just a Republican issue, this is a taxpayer issue. So I’m standing up for the people of this country. I’m going to continue to do that and hopefully we can get some kind of resolution.”
The senator also reminded the reporters that they can still vote on the promotions individually.
“Again, all they have to do to get confirmed is Schumer bring them to the floor one at a time,” he said. “I got three coming today. Who did that? You’re looking at him. It wasn’t Chuck Schumer. He’s taking credit for it. I forced him to do it and I’m going to force him to do more next week. I’m just holding up a group, I’m not holding up individual nominations.”
Tuberville said the president is really the one to blame for creating this controversy.
“So start pointing back at the people like Schumer and people like Joe Biden and the [Secretary of Defense] for not doing what they’re supposed to do,” Tuberville said.
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
As U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville continues his holds on military promotions in the Senate, members of the Republican Party are divided over the issue.
Tuberville (R-Auburn) is still placing holds on Pentagon general and flag-officer promotions due to the Department of Defense’s decision to pay abortion-related expenses for servicemembers.
My hold is not affecting readiness.
Acting officials are in place—and no jobs are unfilled.
The only job not being done effectively is Commander-in-Chief.https://t.co/dWY3T5WVI5
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) September 11, 2023
Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee criticized Tuberville for hurting national security.
“The idea that one man in the Senate can hold this up for months, I understand maybe promotions, but nominations, is paralyzing the Department of Defense,” said U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas). “I think that is a national security problem and a national security issue.
“But to hold up the top brass from being promoted, and lower brass, I think is paralyzing our Department of Defense.”
U.S. Rep. Josh Brecheen disagreed with McCaul’s assessment, and posted his support for Tuberville on social media.
“[Tuberville] is taking fire from all sides for doing the right thing and demanding that we keep woke politics out of our military,” Brecheen (R-Okla.) said. “Conservatives must stand with Senator Tuberville and defend Life!”
.@SenTuberville is taking fire from all sides for doing the right thing and demanding that we keep woke politics out of our military.
Conservatives must stand with Senator Tuberville and defend Life!
— Congressman Josh Brecheen (@RepBrecheen) September 12, 2023
Tuberville also received some support from his Republican Senate colleague from North Carolina.
“Let’s just remember that Senator Schumer can bring all these wonderful nominees, highly qualified nominees, to the floor for a vote,” U.S. Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) said. “Other than being here having this discussion, it’s an important discussion, we could be here voting and moving these nominees through.”
Budd also pointed the blame toward the Biden administration for starting the issue.
“Also (Defense) Secretary (Lloyd) Austin could change this with a stroke of a pen,” he continued. “By this afternoon, we could have this resolved if Secretary Austin would revert to the historical policy that we’ve had for decades.”
Thank you, @SenTedBuddNC. pic.twitter.com/VBRbYtulbc
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) September 12, 2023
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville once again defended his military holds and said it’s President Joe Biden’s policies are that hurting military readiness.
Tuberville (R-Auburn) still has no plans to lift his holds on Pentagon general and flag-officer promotions due to the Department of Defense’s decision to pay abortion-related expenses for servicemembers.
The senator discussed the issue Tuesday on Centerpoint TV.
My holds are not affecting readiness.
@JoeBiden’s injection of woke politics in the military – like the unlawful taxpayer-funded abortion policy – is affecting readiness and recruitment.I am trying to get politics out of the military. pic.twitter.com/Cl7O9EHVqU
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) August 29, 2023
“[T]hey say it’s hurting readiness, it’s really not,” Tuberville said. “Nobody leaves their position until it’s filled, and so there’s no readiness problem.”
Tuberville said Biden’s policies are really to blame for the current issues affecting the armed forces.
“The problem we’re having right now with our military is they can’t recruit,” he said. “We’re behind in the Air Force and the Navy. The Army they’re way behind in recruiting. Nobody wants to join the military because of all these woke policies that Secretary Austin and Joe Biden has put in place. They’re running it into the ground.”
The senator said he’s received support from members of the military and their families.
“I’ve talked to many many soldiers,” he said. “I talked to a mom the other day. She called me and said ‘coach I’m glad you’re doing what you’re doing. I just don’t understand why we’re paying for abortions when my son has to pay $2,000 out of his pocket to buy new uniforms.’ That’s ridiculous.”
Tuberville believes Biden’s agenda is not only hurting the military, but the government as a whole.
“[W]e don’t need to get into these woke policies and run it into the ground like they’ve with every other institution,” he said. “Like the DOJ, the FBI, our education system, that’s exactly what they’re trying to do.”
He once again reiterated that the current abortion policy is illegal and needs to be reversed immediately.
“But this policy on abortion is way overboard,” he said. “They’re not supposed to be making laws and I’m not going to allow them to do it. They’re going to have to change this policy back and bring it to the floor and let’s vote on it. That’s the only way I’ll drop the policy.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
Officials at the Pentagon are sticking by their abortion policy despite U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s military holds.
Tuberville (R-Auburn) continues to place holds on Pentagon general and flag -officer promotions due to the Department of Defense’s decision to pay abortion-related expenses for servicemembers with taxpayer dollars.
Wednesday, the Pentagon said there are no plans to change the policy.
“No we’re not going to change our policy on ensuring that every single servicemember has equitable access to reproductive healthcare,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said. “If you are a servicemember stationed in a state that has rolled back or restricted healthcare access, you are often stationed there because you were assigned there. It’s not that you chose to go there.
“A servicemember in Alabama deserves to have the same access as a servicemember in California as a servicemember stationed in Korea.”
Singh said this policy is not specifically about abortion.
“It’s not an abortion policy,” she said. “The department does not have an abortion policy. We have a healthcare policy and we have a travel policy that allows for servicemembers to take advantage of healthcare that should be accessible to them.”
When asked about how this standoff could end, Singh answered, “I think you should ask Senator Tuberville. We’ve certainly asked him how this ends. The Secretary (of Defense) has had three calls with him this year.”
It also appears that there is no middle ground between the Pentagon and Tuberville as both sides stand firm on their positions.
“So, we’ve been very clear,” she said. “We don’t have anything to negotiate with here. We continue to urge the Senate to confirm our outstanding nominees. These are nominees that have enjoyed bipartisan support in multiple administrations.”
The Pentagon believes it’s up to Tuberville to move forward with the military promotions.
“He really has the power, and I would say his party has the power to end these holds and we would urge them to do that,” she said.
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl is continuing to show his support for U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s hold on military promotions in the Senate.
The ALGOP Senate Executive Committee recently passed a resolution condemning President Joe Biden for his administration’s policy of paying for abortion-related expenses of those serving in the military.
In response to the abortion policy, Tuberville (R-Auburn) has been blocking military promotions.
Wahl defended Tuberville this week on the Family Research Council’s “Washington Watch” show.
"…President Biden has forgotten the key facts constitutionally and, really, proper protocol for government."@chairmanwahl of @ALGOP joined guest host Jody Hice on Washington Watch to explain their resolution supporting @Sentuberville's stand against unlawful abortion funding… pic.twitter.com/5ihT1wSFxo
— Family Research Council (@FRCdc) August 8, 2023
“Look, the bottom line is the Alabama Republican Party is incredibly concerned about what’s happening in Washington, D.C., with these holds,” Wahl said. “When we look at it, this goes back not necessarily to Tommy Tuberville, but the root cause here is President Biden has forgotten the key facts constitutionally and, really, proper protocol for government.
“He’s ignored the Hyde Amendment. He’s gone around the proper channels put in place. And constitutionally, federal spending should be decided by the legislative branch, not the executive branch.”
Wahl said this issue is bigger than just the debate over abortion.
“For us this is a clear thing because it’s not just about protecting the lives of the unborn, which is probably the most important issue you have … but outside of that, this is a clear fiscally responsible action,” he said. “The vast majority of Americans do not want their taxpayer funding being used for abortion-related expenses.
“We’ve seen this over and over again. This is disrespectful to the taxpayer, this is disrespectful to the Hyde Amendment, the Constitution, the vision of our Founding Fathers.”
The ALGOP chair also recently discussed the issue on WVNN’s “The Yaffee Program,” and disagreed with those who are calling Tuberville’s holds “un-American.”
“I’ll tell you what’s un-American,” he said. “It is Joe Biden purposefully circumventing the Hyde Amendment as passed by Congress, to force taxpayers to pay funds for abortion-related expenses, which is not just bad policy, it’s disrespectful to the people by going around their representatives, it’s also unconstitutional because the constitution is very clear that all spending related matters goes through the legislative branch and not the executive branch.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
U.S. Rep. Dale Strong believes Space Command Gen. James Dickinson lied to him and other members of Congress about the decision on whether to relocate the Space Command Headquarters to Huntsville.
After meeting with Dickinson in June, Strong (R-Huntsville) said, “I was assured by him that he couldn’t envision any circumstance where he wouldn’t recommend Huntsville as the permanent SPACECOM HQ. He had no concerns with the initial decision.”
Despite that assurance, it is now being reported that “according to officials, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, who ordered his own review of the matter, leaned toward Huntsville, while Dickinson was staunchly in favor of staying put. The officials said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin presented both options to Biden.”
Wednesday on WVNN’s “The Dale Jackson Show,” Strong accused the general of being dishonest with him.
“[Y]ou’ve got a Secretary of the Air Force and a four-star General that’ll look straight into a committee or look straight into the Alabama delegation eyes and lie,” Strong said. “General Dickinson flat out told all seven congressional members and both senators in a meeting that he could recommend nothing less than Redstone Arsenal based on the facts.”
The congressman said there will be further investigations into the true motivations behind the decision.
“I would thoroughly expect for Secretary Kendall and General Dickinson to come before the House Armed Service Committee,” he said. “Let’s get them sworn in and let’s get those stories right in front of us. Let’s find out.”
He also believes the former president will be weighing in on the matter soon.
“I think it’s very likely you’ll hear about it from Donald Trump on Friday evening in Montgomery, Alabama,” he said of the annual ALGOP Summer Conference.
Strong said some of the military leadership were wanting to come up with any excuse to put it in Colorado, despite Huntsville being the best location for the purposes of national security.
“What we’ve had is for the last two years they’ve been trying to think of any way they can with a clear conscience or look straight ahead when they do it, to recommend Colorado,” he said. “They’re staying with the fifth most qualified.
“Nebraska was second, Redstone was first in 21 categories … We have watched Secretary Kendall and General Dickinson just conspire at every corner and they’ll lie to your face. That’s the thing I can tell you for a fact.”
I sat in front of Gen. Dickinson while he looked me in the eye and said he couldn’t imagine making a recommendation outside of what the basing process had decided.
— Dale W. Strong (@RepDaleStrong) August 1, 2023
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
A group of eight senators are urging Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to use his authority to end U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s military holds.
The group, led by Armed Services Committee member U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), sent a letter to McConnell calling Tuberville’s actions a threat to military readiness.
https://twitter.com/maziehirono/status/1683538203020541953?s=20
“We write you today to share our deep concern for the stability of our Armed Services and national security and call on you to exercise your leadership to protect the readiness of our military,” the lawmakers said. “We know you share our concerns about the consequences of this hold on our Armed Services, and as the leader of your conference, we urge you to take stronger action to resolve this situation.”
Tuberville (R-Auburn) has placed a hold on Pentagon general and flag officer promotions due to the Department of Defense’s decision to pay for abortion-related expenses for servicemembers using taxpayer dollars.
“In the coming months, more than half of the current Joint Chiefs are required to vacate their posts, and due to Senator Tuberville’s stonewalling, they’ll do so without a Senate-approved successor in place,” the letter continues. “During this time of heightened global tensions, failing to fill these critical positions is not only imprudent but risks our national security.”
McConnell has said he doesn’t support Tuberville in this effort.
“No, I don’t support putting a hold on military nominations,” McConnell said. “I don’t support that. But as to why, you’ll have to ask Sen. Tuberville.”
The lawmakers now believe McConnell should do more than just talk about his disagreements with Tuberville.
“As the leader of the Republican conference,” they said in the letter, “we count on your to hold your colleagues accountable when they recklessly cross boundaries and upend Senatorial order. Senator Tuberville’s continuation of this stalemate is reckless, dangerous, and must end.”
Tuberville has said he would end the holds if Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer allowed a stand-alone vote on the Pentagon’s abortion policy, which Schumer suggested recently he might be willing to do.
“If he wants to have an affirmative vote, we would not object to it,” Schumer said. “Tuberville said he wanted a vote; we’ll see what happens. The bottom line is it’s up to the Republican leadership. … They are risking our security, and it’s up to them to fix it.”
In addition to Hirono, the letter was also signed by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Angus King (I-Maine).
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) is getting support from some of his Senate collogues in his effort to change the Pentagon’s policy on abortions for members of the military.
Last week, President Joe Biden slammed Tuberville for continuing to hold up military promotions.
“I’d be willing to talk to him if I thought there’s any possibility of him changing his ridiculous position he has,” Biden said during a press conference in Helsinki. “He’s jeopardizing U.S. security by what he’s doing. I expect the Republican Party to stand up, stand up and do something about it.”
https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1679511741795893250?s=20
Tuberville, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, wants the administration to rescind its policy of paying for travel expenses for servicemembers seeking an abortion in a state where it’s still legal.
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who also has a seat on the Armed Services Committee, said on Fox News Sunday that Biden is the one to blame for the current standoff.
WATCH: @SenTomCotton joins the show to discuss the fight on Capitol Hill over the NDAA and American military readiness amid concerns about ammunition shortages. Tune in! pic.twitter.com/LqgWCDndkg
— Fox News Sunday (@FoxNewsSunday) July 16, 2023
“[I]f the secretary of Defense and the president think this is a readiness issue and they want to find the responsible party, they should look in the mirror,” Cotton said. “They’re the ones who are violating the law and using taxpayer funds to pay for abortion tourism.”
Cotton then highlighted why the current abortion policy is “extreme.”
“A young airman and Little Rock Air Force Base could walk in and demand three weeks of uncharged, paid leave and get travel and meals and lodging paid for to go get an elected abortion,” he said. “Another airman could walk in and say ‘my mother and father just unexpectedly died, can I have leave to go to their funeral?’ That would be charged leave that comes out of their annual allotment and they would get no expenses paid.
“I think most Americans agree that is an insane policy. Again the military should not be paying for abortion tourism.”
The senator said if a member of the military wants to get an abortion, it shouldn’t be funded by the taxpayers.
“If they want to take that step, they have 30 days of annual leave,” he said. “It shouldn’t be taxpayer funds giving them three weeks of paid uncharged leave and then also paying for travel and lodging or meals.”
Cotton said the administration should stop its abortion policy if they want the holds to be lifted.
“Well it should end with (Defense Secretary) Lloyd Austin and Joe Biden agreeing to follow the law and rescinding their policy,” he said. “… If Lloyd Austin and Joe Biden think this is a threat to our national security, the simplest thing to do would be to revert to the same practices we have had for decades.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman the House Armed Services Committee, is criticizing the Secretary of Defense over faults in his After Action Review of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
https://twitter.com/HASCRepublicans/status/1669787024214179841?s=20
Rogers (R-Saks) sent a letter to Austin detailing his issues with the report and Austin’s “personal reflections” that were attached to the report in a classified memorandum.
Letter to Sec. Austin Re Af… by Houston Keene
“While the fog of war is likely to result in mistakes and even tragedy,” Rogers said in the letter, “an honest appraisal of the Biden Administration’s involvement in implementing the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan has still not occurred. Towards this objective, it is incumbent on the Committee and its oversight responsibilities to determine what went wrong and how such a catastrophe can be avoided in the future.”
The House Armed Services Committee chairman pointed to omissions in the report and called on Austin to produce all the documents.
“Moreover, the Department’s AAR produced to the House omitted significant portions included in its Table of Contents, including all endnotes and other appendices to the report,” he said. “Additionally, significant redaction of material in the classified report is not explained.
“The Committee relies upon transparency in conducting oversight for the American people, so I hope exclusion of associated documents with the AAR was unintentional and that the Committee can receive an appropriately un-redacted version. Please produce all documents, no later than July 7, 2023, associated with the AAR as listed in the report’s Table of Contents.”
The report released by the White House in April defended the president and tried to pin the blame of the botched withdrawal on the Trump administration.
According to Fox News Digital, a Defense Department spokesperson said “they had nothing to add at this time and that they would respond to Rogers as appropriate.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Saks) is criticizing the Biden administration over a new Department of Defense (DoD) abortion policy.
Thursday, the Pentagon put out its new plan to pay for the travel of service members who seek an abortion or want to accompany a spouse who is seeking.
Rogers, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, said this is just another example of Biden putting the “woke” agenda over national security.
“Today, the Biden administration chose to make the Department of Defense an abortion travel agency over a lethal fighting force, said Rogers. “As I have repeatedly told the political leaders of this administration, taking this action jeopardizes congressional authorizations for our warfighters. I am extremely disappointed the Biden administration chose once again to use our military to placate the radical left.”
The congressman also posted a statement on Twitter, calling the President “a disgrace to our nation.”
Our brave military is here to protect our freedom and our nation. It is not meant to advance the woke, Socialist Biden agenda, and it is certainly not meant to pay for abortion on demand. Joe Biden is a disgrace to our nation. https://t.co/VXAyMrm76L
— Mike Rogers (@RepMikeRogersAL) February 17, 2023
In the upper chamber, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville also condemned the new plan and said he will place a hold on all military and civilian nominations before the Senate.
“The Secretary of Defense is following through with his radical plan to facilitate thousands of abortions a year with taxpayer dollars,” Tuberville said in an statement to Fox News Digital. “So, I will follow through with my plan to hold all DoD civilian, flag, and general officer nominations that come before the U.S. Senate.”
The senator made it clear that any changes like this to the DoD should be approved by Congress.
“As I’ve stated, if Secretary Austin wants to change law, he should go through Congress,” he added. “This is an illegal expansion of DoD authority and gross misuse of taxpayer dollars – and I will hold him accountable. The American people want a military focused on national defense, not facilitating a progressive political agenda.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
U.S. Rep. Barry Moore has again called on Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to rescind a COVID vaccine mandate for the military.
The Enterprise Republican said this is his second letter asking Austin to drop the mandate since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased requirements.
According to the congressman, Austin has yet to respond to a letter sent Aug. 23.
“Since our still-unanswered August letter to Secretary Austin, President Biden has declared the pandemic over, yet military leaders continue to hold patriotic Americans desiring to serve their country hostage with unnecessary vaccine mandates,” Moore said in a statement.
In the letter, Moore said the vaccine mandate harms military readiness.
“Mr. Secretary, the military has failed to meet its recruitment goals,” the letter said, “with the Army only meeting 52% of its FY22 recruitment goal and nearly 20,000 service members face discharge relating to the vaccine. As of this fall, the Army cut its projected FY23 end strength by 12,000 soldiers. The pandemic has been declared over, but the military continues to uphold a standard that is affecting force readiness. This is particularly troubling given the CDC’s guidance that makes little distinction between the vaccinated and unvaccinated.”
The letter concludes by calling for the mandate to be immediately ended.
“To ensure the continued readiness of our nation’s military and to reflect the most up to date guidelines released by the CDC,” the letter reads. “I again request that the military reverse its COVID-19 vaccine requirement for all military personnel and civilian contractors. I also request that those who were unfairly forced to separate from the military be given the option to be reinstated with back pay.”
Moore also said in a separate statement, “If this administration believes military vaccine mandates continue to be justified despite revised CDC guidance and clear direct damage to our force readiness, Secretary Austin must make clear to Congress and the American people the science and decision-making process he is relying upon. Without this information, the American people will justifiably believe our military is sacrificing their welfare for wokeness.”
Also signing on to the letter were Reps. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), Mary Miller (R-Ill.), Ben Cline (R-Va.), Russ Fulcher (R-ID) and Byron Donalds (R-Fla).
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
Auburn is proud to celebrate the recent confirmation of Auburn alumnus Gen. Lloyd Austin as our nation’s secretary of defense.
We applaud your incredible achievement and thank you for your continued service to protect our country.
Auburn celebrates a lifetime of achievement by Gen. Lloyd Austin, who provides immeasurable support to our university. We are grateful for his leadership in defending our freedoms and know his best days in serving our nation are still ahead.
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