Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) said Thursday that a continued Republican blockade of hundreds of President Joe Biden’s military nominees could actually be a good thing for America, as Biden has sought to bring more diversity to the country’s military .
In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Scott, who is running for president, was asked whether he supported Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) blocking more than 300 military nominations in protest of the Pentagon’s abortion policies -related trips. Tuberville has relied on Senate procedural rules since February to block her confirmations.
Scott responded that it might actually be that Tuberville was single-handedly preventing the occupation of hundreds of U.S. military posts.
“Under President Biden, holding up promotions is not necessarily a bad thing,” the South Carolina Republican said.
“What we have seen among the top brass in today’s military is too much focus on….” [diversity, equity and inclusion] and gender issues, vaccination requirements versus warfare, lethality and securing the resources, equipment and training we need,” he said. ”Maybe it would have been a little better for us to slow down promotions and slow down greater social experimentation in the ranks of our military.”
Scott used that vague, coded language again in the interview, saying, “We need to rid the military of social experimentation.” Presumably what he actually means is that military leaders shouldn’t allow transgender people to serve openly in the military and receive medically necessary, gender-affirming care.
A spokesman for the Scott campaign had no commentRespond immediately to a request for comment on why the Republican senator thinks leaving hundreds of military posts vacant would be good for the U.S. military in the first place, and why Biden’s efforts to bring more diversity and equity into the U.S. Bringing in the military is one reason for this.
A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Scott, who has been in the presidential race for months and is still polling in the low single digits, missed all of this week’s Senate confirmation votes a handful of senior military leaders to which Tuberville had no objection.
Tuberville has infuriated senior military officials with his blockade, and some say he is helping US opponents with his political moves.