It's a tough situation,
and there's nobody more military than me.
Caitlin, my dad was military
career military, all for the military.
We need a strong military
but we also need to go by the rules
and the Constitution
and represent the people and taxpayers.
Taxpayers are not supposed to pay
for anything
that has to do with abortion.
Your father
your father was in the military.
But when you talk about
who's hurting here
and that you said
you were going to do this,
you're not directly
hurting Secretary Alston or President
Biden here.
This has a real impact
on the families of these officers.
So they can't move
or resettle their families.
They can't enroll their kids in schools.
Their spouses can't take new jobs
wherever they're going to be
stationed next
You know,
this keeps members of the military
who are getting promoted
from getting that pay raise.
You realize that, right?
Well, first of all,
you know, if I thought it had
had was hurting readiness or recruiting
I wouldn't be doing this.
But it's not doing it.
You know,
I've talked to generals and admirals.
I said, coach, we're going to be able
to get this done.
We'll work through this.
And I appreciate their comments.
I talked to General Brown today.
I talked to General
Smith last week, who's now the deputy
was the deputy of the Marines.
Now he's the commandant until confirmed
but he was sworn in today.
But you got to think about this.
We say we're hurting the families.
But don't you think about this?
We've done
a couple of dozen abortions
in the military for the last 40 years,
a couple of dozen a year.
Now, we're now we're going to have 4000
to 5000 a year because this new rule,
this new supposedly law
that this administration
is pushing through.
So let's think about the unborn.
Let's think about the young people
that are not going to be able
to get in the military
and be part of this country.
Let's talk about them.
But where are you getting
those numbers from?
We had an
outside service,
look into it,
calculated, go through it
with a fine tooth comb.
And we sent that to the SecDef.
We sent it
to all the people in the White House.
They knew this was going to happen.
They knew how many more
there were going to be.
So you got to look at the facts here.
You know, facts first
I mean, this is not it's not illegal.
On a national basis.
I mean, it's up to the states right now.
They get to decide.
Alabama, our home state
basically doesn't allow most abortions.
But I don't understand
the numbers
that you're citing there
or where those are coming from,
saying that that's a jump
and that's
why you're you're changing this policy.
You said you were changing the policy
and that you're holding this block
because you don't want the
Pentagon paying for travel
related to people
who have to travel out of state
to go get an abortion. Exactly.
Taxpayer.
60% of the people in this country,
Democrats and Republicans
and independents, say
they do not want
taxpayer money
to go towards anything
to do with an abortion.
And so that's all I'm trying to do.
I'm trying to get the attention
of this Department of Defense
and the White House.
But you listen to the people.
Listen to the people.
I'm not trying to hurt anybody.
Listen to the people.
And let's get this thing done.
But there has to be conversation
to get anything done.
By the way,
some clarification
because you are blocking this
because the reason it's in place
is that people who are stationed
in certain places,
if they want to get an abortion
and they happen to be in a state
that doesn't offer it
because of the new laws
that have gone in place
since Roe versus Wade were overturned,
would have to travel to another state.
You're claiming
that abortions are going to skyrocket
because the Pentagon is paying
for people
to take off work
and have to go out of state to get them.
Caitlin.
Abortion
for three exceptions is going to abortion
at any time.
Also, their dependents.
I mean, you're adding
a lot of people into this.
You're adding a lot of a time frame
and into that during the pregnancy.
That's what I'm talking about.
There is no set rules on this.
It's just,
hey, if you want to have one
have it,
we'll pay for your flight anywhere
to a state that can do it.
We're going to give you
three weeks off
paid that didn't
come out of your time
office is as as a service member.
There's a lot added to this
and it's
going to be charged to the taxpayer.
Okay.
But they're not paying for the abortion
itself. The procedure itself.
But you did
mention military readiness there
and I'm glad you did
because seven former U.S.
defense secretaries,
including two who served under former
President Trump,
James Mattis and Mark Esper
disagree with you.
And they signed a letter
to Senate leaders
saying that your actions are harming
military readiness,
that this risks damaging U.S.
national security
and at risk turning military officers
into political pawns.
And they specifically say
that there are some
pretty important positions
that you were holding up,
including the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain
and the Seventh Fleet in the Pacific,
which are critical to checking
Iranian and Chinese aggression.
Are you saying that you know better
than those seven
former defense secretaries
Well, first of all,
those secretary of defense,
as were nominees, they weren't elected.
I was elected to represent the people of
Alabama in this country.
Number two, if they want
to confirm
I'm a general or admiral,
we can do it tomorrow.
Okay. I'm not stopping all of them.
I mean, if are some
that they won't out there.
General, Brown, who's going to be the new
head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff?
He'll go through by itself.
He's going to go through
confirmation and more.
And we will vote on him by stealth.
He will not be held up.
And so this is just throwing
100 or 200 in there
and doing it
at one time
when I'm just saying, hey,
this gives me the right
because I'm a senator
I can hold any confirmation I want
until we get some kind of confirmation
of why you're doing this.
Good conversation. Let's talk.
I've heard zero
from the White House and zero
the last five months
other than 10 minutes
from Senator Alston in February.
But you've said
you're not going
to drop your objection here.
I mean,
what if a President Biden called you
that wouldn't change your policy.
Is that are you saying it would?
Well, that's another thing.
We need leadership.
Leadership in the White House.
If I had a minute, president on our
called me to the White House
and said, Coach, what are you doing?
This is why we need to get this done.
How do we work it out?
We got to come to some compromise
But, Caitlin,
there's got to be conversation.
Nobody has even talked to me
in five months.
I hear that
the press secretary over there
saying you know, there's been
there's been nothing.
That's the biggest lie I've ever heard.
If they're really worried
about readiness,
if they're worried about recruiting.
How about we get this done?
How about they
come talk to me
and let's talk this out and work it out
and come to a good conclusion
for the American people,
the taxpayers and the citizens
of the United States of America.
But your own fellow Republican
I disagree with you here.
Even Mitch
McConnell says he does not agree
with this tactic.
So I guess I'm just confused
if there is that conversation
with the White House.
What do you hope it
what would you achieve
by talking to them
if they stand by this policy,
which they put in place
after Roe
versus Wade was overturned
and you say you don't like this policy,
where's the middle ground there?
Well well, first of all,
I don't work for any other senator.
I work for the people of Alabama.
And they've got their own opinion,
whether it's Democrat or
Republican, independent
it's my prerogative.
Put a hold on.
But the one thing that I want to do
is make sure that the American taxpayer
has a Say-So
in whether we pay
for anything to do with abortion.
That is what I'm trying to do.
I'm not trying to stop any confirmations.
I'm not trying to be hardheaded
about this.
I just want some conversation then
and get a reasonable
explanation, explanation of why
we're doing this.
And there's been zero.
Well, I just want to repeat it's members
of the military
who are paying the price for this policy
that you've chosen to take up.
But speaking of the military,
I do want to give you a chance
to clarify some comments
you made recently.
On white nationalists
serving in the military.
For those who are watching,
if they haven't heard your remarks,
this is what you said
Do you believe
they should
allow white nationalists in the military?
Well, they call them that.
I call them Americans.
Do you want to explain
those comments, Senator?
Yeah. First of all,
I'm totally against any type of racism.
Okay.
I was a football coach for 40 years,
and I dealt and had opportunity
to be around
more minorities
than anybody up here on this Hill.
But when our military has been attacked
was being attacked after nine 11
after January six.
And that was my first day
on the Senate floor.
I thought it was
I thought it was outrageous.
Of what senators
from the Democratic side,
Chuck Schumer,
said on the floor that night,
calling out people, calling
people racist,
calling people
nationalists, white nationalists,
white nationalists is just another word
that they want to use other than racism.
I'm totally against
anything to do with racism.
But the thing about being a white
nationalist is just a cover word
for the Democrats
now where they can use it to try to make
people mad across the country,
identity politics.
I'm totally against that.
But I'm for the American people.
I'm for military.
I'm for Christian conservatives,
Democrats, whoever wants to be in
the military
to fight for this country,
to protect this country.
That's what it's all about.
But just to be clear, you agree
that white nationalists
should not be serving in the U.S.
military? Is that what you're saying?
If if people think
that a white nationalist is a racist?
I agree with that.
I agree
the white nationalist is
someone who believes
that the white race
is superior to other races.
Well, that's some people's opinion.
And I don't think I mean a lot.
Pardon?
What's your opinion?
My opinion of a white nationalist.
If somebody wants to call them
whiteness, to me is an American.
It's American now.
If that white nationalist is a racist,
I'm totally against
anything that they want to do
because I am 110% against racism.
But I want somebody
that's in our military
that's strong,
that believes in this country.
That's an American
that will fight along anybody,
whether it's a man
or woman, black or white.
It doesn't make any difference.
And so I'm totally against
identity politics.
I think it's ruining this country.
And I think that Democrats
ought to be ashamed
for how they're doing this,
because this divide in this country
and it's making this country
weaker every day.
But that's not identity politics.
You said a white
nationalist is an America.
It is identity politics.
You said a white nationalist
as an American,
but a white nationalist
is someone who who believes
horrific things. You don't.
Do you really think that someone
who should be serving in the military?
Well, that's just a name
that has been given.
I mean, it's not.
Well, it's a real definition.
There's real concern
if you're going to do away
with most white people
in this country out of the military,
we've got huge problems
it's not a huge problem.
Not people who are white.
It's white nationalists
that have a few different beliefs. Right.
They have that have different
beliefs now.
If racism is one of those beliefs,
I'm totally against it.
I am totally against racism.
But there's a lot of people
that believe in different
things is racist, Senator.
Well, that's your opinion.
That's your opinion.
But if it's racism,
if it's racism, I'm totally against it.
I am totally against any type of race,
any any type of racism.
I don't care whether it's.