The Pentagon has scrapped a controversial Biden administration directive that allowed service members to be reimbursed for travel if they or a family member needed to go to another state for an abortion.
Sarah Moore, deputy director of the Defense Travel Management Office, issued a memo Wednesday, according to The Hill, which strikes paragraph 033013 from the Pentagon's Joint Travel Regulations that allowed service members "to access lawfully available noncovered reproductive healthcare regardless of where they are stationed." The memo said the change took effect Tuesday.
Former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued the controversial directive in October 2022, providing travel funds and support for service members and their dependents who seek abortions and are based in states where the practice is restricted. The move came following the Supreme Court's decision in June 2022 that ended the federal right to an abortion.
Republicans complained the policy violated the Hyde Amendment, a 1977 law that prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortions, except in cases of rape and incest, and to save the life of the mother.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., proceeded to block military promotions in the Senate for nearly a year to protest the policy, arguing it was a violation of the Hyde Amendment.
Moore said in the memo the policy change is aligned with President Donald Trump's executive order, "Enforcing the Hyde Amendment," issued Jan. 24 that strikes down two executive orders by President Joe Biden in 2022 over securing and protecting access to reproductive healthcare services in a "wide variety of federal programs."
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who served 10 years in the Navy, criticized the Pentagon's decision to rescind the policy.
"This is deeply personal to me. I was stationed in states like Texas and Florida, where I wouldn't have had healthcare access if I [were] serving today," Sherrill said Thursday in a news release. "Now, I have a daughter in the Navy. I've gone toe-to-toe with Senator Tommy Tuberville and House Republicans as they tried three times to rescind this important policy and failed. Now, I'm going to take the fight to President Donald Trump and [Defense] Secretary [Pete] Hegseth.
"We ask our service women to put their lives on the line while serving across the globe to protect our country – they shouldn't have to risk their lives while stationed in a state with severe abortion bans like Texas or Florida. The DOD's decision will endanger the health of our service women. It'll relegate women to second-class citizens in our armed forces. And it will worsen our recruitment and retention crisis as Americans think twice about answering the call to serve, leaving critical roles across the globe vacant, and showing weakness to our adversaries. I refuse to let this administration harm our servicewomen and military families."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.