#DeSantis doubles down on support for Tuberville amid ongoing military holds  

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

“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 monthslong holding of over 300 military promotions is in protest against a Pentagon policy reimbursing expenses for service members traveling across state lines for abortions.

DeSantis’s Saturday comments 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 asked by Hewitt 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.