Senator Roger Wicker, the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has raised concerns about the Department of Defense’s abortion travel assistance policies under President Biden. He questioned the necessity of these policies for force readiness, citing recently-revealed data that calls into question the administration’s justifications. The Department of Defense has defended the policy, stating that it is crucial for ensuring troop readiness.
In response to Wicker’s inquiries, the Pentagon released new data on the controversial abortion travel policy for service members. According to Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh, the policy was utilized 12 times between June and December of 2023, costing the Pentagon approximately $40,800. While the department offers travel and transportation assistance allowances for approved procedures and treatments, not all service members who travel for abortions have requested or received such allowances.
The Army provided data to another Senate committee regarding the usage and cost of the abortion policy in 2023, which was then shared with Wicker. The senator criticized the department for providing incomplete and evasive responses to his previous inquiries about the policy’s impact on force readiness. He called out the department for focusing on fertilization services and avoiding discussions about the provision of non-covered abortion services in their responses.
Wicker emphasized the importance of obtaining accurate data on the usage of the policy to assess its impact on force readiness. He requested the department to provide up-to-date information in the same format as the Army’s data and urged immediate delivery of this information. The senator’s concerns center around the potential politicization of the military through the abortion travel policy and the lack of transparency surrounding its implementation and cost.
Overall, Wicker’s letter to the Department of Defense highlights the ongoing scrutiny and questions surrounding the abortion travel assistance policies under the Biden administration. The senator’s efforts to obtain detailed data and information are aimed at holding the department accountable and ensuring transparency regarding the impact of these policies on force readiness. This issue continues to be a point of contention between Republican lawmakers and the Biden administration.
