Senate GOP in Fury Over Tuberville’s Military Pause

Senate Republicans have expressed their outrage over the military freeze that the Trump administration recently announced. Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, one of the most vocal supporters of President Donald Trump in the Senate, has been singled out by fellow Republicans for his role in the military funding freeze. Tuberville reportedly pushed for the move, along with other White House political appointees. The stated goal of this maneuver was supposedly to cut unnecessary spending from both the Department of Defense and the Department of Veteran Affairs. However, many believe that the freeze could have serious implications on the U.S. military’s readiness and could do lasting damage to our national security. Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota was one of the first to speak out against Tuberville and the freeze. Though Rounds acknowledged that the military needs to cut unnecessary spending, he argued that it is not the role of the White House political appointees to dictate how it is done. “Tuberville has shown a reckless disregard for the process which should be followed when it comes to making decisions that affect our national security and the well-being of our armed forces,” Rounds said. He went on to argue that the military budget needs to be looked at by Congress, not the White House. Other senators who have long favored a strong military were also critical of Tuberville and the funding freeze. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida expressed his disapproval in a tweet, saying, “It’s increasingly hard to find somebody to defend Trump’s disastrous Oversight of the Defense Department.” Though Tuberville has not made any public statements about the criticism from Republicans, his aide Phil Valenziano said, “The majority of the senator’s focus has been to serve, protect, and provide for our military personnel.” Despite Tuberville’s sincere intentions, it appears that his actions have not been received well by some Republicans. A number of them have expressed their grievances with the Trump adminstration’s policy which will, in the end, have serious consequences for their constituents and the security of the United States.