Republican Opposition to Military Promotions Linked to Abortion Policy

Republican Rep. Mike Johnson criticized Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin over a new abortion policy at the Pentagon, claiming there was no legal justification for the Defense Department to reimburse servicemembers for travel costs for reproductive healthcare. Austin responded that the policy was based on a sound legal basis and stressed that 1-in-5 servicemembers were women, about 80,000 of whom are stationed in states with restrictions on abortion access. Johnson told Austin he was "not an elected official" and shouldn't be able to enact the policy and others not focused on military readiness.