A majority of Senate Republicans are supporting legislation that would prohibit the Pentagon from reimbursing service members for traveling across state lines to receive abortions.
Legislation introduced this week by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, is already cosponsored by 35 other GOP senators, a sign that support is growing among Republicans to end the controversial Defense Department policy that takes effect this week.
The policy is a response to the Supreme Court’s decision last year to reverse Roe v. Wade, which gave states the authority to regulate abortion. Since that ruling, the Biden administration and congressional Democrats have pursued policies aimed at making it easier for women in states with strict abortion laws to travel to other states with more permissive laws.
The Pentagon’s policy was a step in this direction, as it proposed to give service members time off and reimburse them for travel-related expenses if they sought abortions in other states. But Ernst said this week that the Defense Department has no legal authority to support abortions in this way.
