U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville has spoken on the Senate floor twice this week, defending his hold on military promotions that has emerged as one of the more polarizing issues in the Senate in recent weeks.

Tuberville ceded no ground in standing firm on the holds as a protest over a Pentagon policy to provide travel expenses and paid leave for military servicemembers to travel to states where abortion is legal. Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense, enacted the policy in February as a response to the Supreme Court last year returning the issue of abortion rights to the states.

“I have laid out two conditions for me to end my hold: Either follow the law or change the law,” Tuberville said Wednesday. “I’ll drop my holds as soon as Secretary Austin suspends the memo. The burden is not on me to undo the policy – this illegal policy. The burden is on the Biden administration to follow the law.

“These conditions have not been met and I will not drop my hold until they are met.”

Tuberville declared that the “majority of Americans” support him on this issue. The senator also equated the travel expenses to “taxpayer-funded abortions.” The Pentagon policy does not allow for taxpayers to pay for the medical procedure of an abortion.

“I am fighting against taxpayer-funded abortions,” Tuberville said. “Funding from taxpayers that was never, ever approved by this Congress. And, by the way, poll after poll shows that Americans agree with exactly what I’m doing. The American people do not support taxpayer-funded abortions. Period.

“Democrats have had a few retired secretaries in the last few weeks agree with them. But other retired military leaders — and thousands of service members and veterans — just happen to agree with me. Just like the majority of Americans.”

In addition to opposition from Democrats, Mitch McConnell – the top Republican in the Senate – said last week he did not support Tuberville’s tactic of military holds. A group of former secretaries of state said in a letter to Senate leaders last week that the freezing of promotions could jeopardize national security.

Tuberville has responded that the nominations could be approved by the Senate one at a time in floor votes, which opponents have said is too time-consuming compared to the traditional practice of approving all nominations instantly through unanimous consent.

“If Democrats were actually concerned about these nominations – and I’m going to say it for the hundredth time – if they were actually concerned about our national security and the things that are going on around the world, we would be taking these nominees one at a time and getting them knocked out,” Tuberville said. “Instead of worrying about coming here and doing this debate, complaining to each other about what’s going on when the executive branch is doing our job and we’re not doing ours.”