In the News

Approximately 40 House Republicans have urged Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to rescind his policy of using government funds to cover travel expenses for abortions.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) spearheaded the letter, which was addressed to Austin and included Wednesday’s date, roughly a week after the “Ensuring Access to Reproductive Health Care” memo went out to department officials.

This memo was Austin’s response to the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade and how the department would ensure female service members and family members still had access to abortion.

“Among several policy changes, this memo directs the unprecedented use of American taxpayer dollars to facilitate abortions for service members and their families, against the wishes of the American people from all walks of life,” the letter reads.

The lawmakers call it “an unprecedented politicization of our Armed Forces,” and describe that to be “a hallmark of the Biden administration from the start.”

Approximately 40% of female U.S. service members no longer have access or have limited access to abortion services where they live or are stationed currently since the Supreme Court's ruling, according to a RAND study, which published their findings last month. Roughly 80,000 of the approximately 450,000 active-duty service members serve in states that have implemented or will soon implement additional abortion restrictions.

Republicans were quick to denounce Austin’s policy at the time it was announced, and the issue could become a larger one for the Pentagon if the GOP takes back control of the House as expected.

The members who signed the letter to Austin in addition to Roy were Reps. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Dan Bishop (R-NC), Michael Cloud (R-TX), Tim Burchett (R-TN), Bob Good (R-VA), Mary Miller (R-IL), Jake Ellzey (R-TX), Randy Weber (R-TX), Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Warren Davidson (R-OH), Kevin Hern (R-OK), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Clay Higgins (R-LA), Roger Williams (R-TX), Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Jim Banks (R-IN), Mike Johnson (R-LA), Greg Steube (R-FL), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Ben Cline (R-VA), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Burgess Owens (R-UT), Bruce Westerman (R-AK), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Ronny Jackson (R-TX), Michael Waltz (R-FL), Brad Finstad (R-MN), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Barry Moore (R-AL), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Michael Guest (R-MS), Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), Jack Bergman (R-MI), John Moolenaar (R-MI), Bill Posey (R-FL), Brian Mast (R-FL), Mark Green (R-TN), and Scott Franklin (R-FL).

In the memo, Austin also directed the department to “establish additional privacy protections for reproductive healthcare information, including standardizing and extending the time service members have to fulfill their obligation to notify commanders of a pregnancy to no later than 20 weeks, unless [there are] specific requirements to report sooner," and to help healthcare providers, specifically those who “are subject to adverse action, including civil or criminal penalties or loss of license or reprimand.”

DOD medical officials are permitted to perform abortions in the case of rape, incest, or if the life of the mother is at risk. That had been the case before the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade.