US News

Roy Leads House GOPers Demanding DOD Stop Paying Abortion Travel Expenses

Distressed Patriotic Flag Unisex T-Shirt - Celebrate Comfort and Country $11.29 USD Get it here>>


Forty House Republicans, led by Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, are demanding that the Department of Defense (DOD) shut down a fund it set up to pay the travel expenses of service members seeking abortions.

“The United States military is facing a historic recruiting crisis as a result of ‘wokeness’ and its strategically foolish COVID shot mandate. The Biden Administration’s response is to kill more unborn Americans,” Roy said in a statement.

“By creating an abortion travel slush fund with hard-earned taxpayer dollars, the Biden Administration is outright mocking the majority of Americans who oppose their tax dollars being used to end life in the womb. Secretary Austin must immediately rescind this directive; it’s as abhorrent as it is unconscionable,” the Texas Republican continued.

Roy also had a message for any Republican colleagues who join Democrats in backing the DOD action: “And any Republican who votes to fund or authorize this in December should be asked one simple question: Why?”

Roy was referring to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s Oct. 20 memorandum entitled “Ensuring Access to Reproductive Health Care” in which he said, “I am committed to the Department taking all appropriate action, within its authority and consistent with applicable federal law, as soon as possible to ensure that our Service members and their families can access reproductive health care and our health care providers can operate effectively.”

Austin’s memorandum was issued nearly four months after the Supreme Court in its decision, Dobbs v. Jackson Womens’ Health Organization, overturned the 1972 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion during the first six months of pregnancy as a privacy right, the existence of which is implied by the Constitution.

In the more recent decision, the Court’s majority said no nationwide right to abortion is mentioned anywhere in the Constitution, so the issue must be left to the people to decide, acting through their state legislatures.

As a result, some states are expected to continue allowing abortions while others ban it to some degree. With DOD service members and employees stationed throughout the country, Austin’s memorandum is intended to ensure access to the procedure regardless of the location of any DOD domestic duty station.

Roy was joined by 40 House GOP colleagues in signing an Oct. 26 letter to Austin that was made public by the Texas Republican. The letter signers condemned Austin’s decision as an “unprecedented politicization” of the U.S. military.

“This move represents an unprecedented politicization of our Armed Forces, which has unfortunately been a hallmark of the Biden Administration from the start. Your decision to bypass Congress and establish a DOD abortion travel fund flies in the face of nearly a half-century of bipartisan consensus to respect the sincere beliefs of millions of pro-life Americans by restraining the federal government from using taxpayer dollars to fund most abortions,” the signers told Austin.

“It is even more disgraceful that you are using our brave service members and their families—tasked with providing for our nation’s security—as the vehicle to push this extreme policy on the American public. This obvious political gamesmanship will only serve to further undermine Americans’ trust in the U.S. Armed Forces and further hamstring future military recruitment efforts. We demand the immediate rescission of this unconscionable directive,” the letter signers declared.

The letter writers were referring to the Hyde Amendment that barred federal funds from being used to pay for abortions. The amendment was first adopted in 1977 and was authored by Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.). The amendment does permit federal funds to pay for abortions if the mother’s life is in danger or the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest.

Austin’s memorandum comes as U.S. military recruiters are failing to achieve their annual recruitment goals for the first time since the all-volunteer force was created under President Richard Nixon in 1972.

The abortion controversy adds to recruiting difficulties already complicated by demographic factors meaning “71 percent of youth do not qualify for military service because of obesity, drugs, physical and mental health problems, misconduct, and aptitude,” according to the U.S. Army Recruiting Command.

Mark Tapscott

Congressional Correspondent

Follow

Congressional Correspondent for The Epoch Times.



Source link

TruthUSA

I'm TruthUSA, the author behind TruthUSA News Hub located at https://truthusa.us/. With our One Story at a Time," my aim is to provide you with unbiased and comprehensive news coverage. I dive deep into the latest happenings in the US and global events, and bring you objective stories sourced from reputable sources. My goal is to keep you informed and enlightened, ensuring you have access to the truth. Stay tuned to TruthUSA News Hub to discover the reality behind the headlines and gain a well-rounded perspective on the world.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.