DeSantis doubles down on support for Tuberville amid ongoing military holds  

2024 GOP presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reiterated his support Saturday for Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Ala.) hold on military promotions.

“What the Defense Department is doing is outside the law,” DeSantis said while speaking at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition Town Hall. “They are breaking, violating the law by funding abortion tourism with tax dollars.”

Tuberville’s months-long hold of more than 300 military promotions is in protest against a Pentagon policy reimbursing expenses for service members traveling across state lines for abortions.

DeSantis’s comments Saturday reiterate his previous stance on the issue, showing he continues to back Tuberville’s protest despite its lengthy timeline. In July, DeSantis criticized the policy when talking to radio host Hugh Hewitt. 

“No, I don’t,” DeSantis said when Hewitt asked if he thinks Tuberville should release his hold. “And the reason is, the military’s policy is not following U.S. law. They are using tax dollars.”

DeSantis also said if he became president, he would immediately get rid of the policy.

“I can tell you, when I’m president, on day one, that policy goes into the trash can where it belongs,” DeSantis said.