VESTAVIA HILLS — U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) was awarded the Alabama Policy Institute's (API) Warrior Award at the organization's annual dinner on Thursday night.
API started giving the Warrior Award in 2019 to recognize individuals who have stood up for both fiscal and social conservative principles in public and private spheres.
Though Tuberville was not in attendance due to being in Washington, D.C., he thanked API for the award via video, which was displayed for the audience.
In it, he promised to continue his fight against a Department of Defense (DOD) abortion policy that aids female soldiers in obtaining abortions by offering them up to three weeks of leave and transportation allowances to travel to states where abortion is legal.
Tuberville, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, threatened to impede President Joe Biden's DOD nominations if the policy were implemented without congressional approval. His decision slows Biden's efforts to fill DOD positions without a formal Senate vote.
Tuberville clarified earlier this year that his hold did not stop all nominees from being confirmed and prevented the Senate from confirming them in large swaths instead of individually.
The move has earned Tuberville considerable backlash from Democrats and neoconservatives.
"[Tuberville] is fighting not only the Democrats right now, but he's fighting others like him," said State Sen. Dan Roberts (R-Mountain Brook), who presented the award. "But he's standing for a very simple basic premise: that state laws have an impact, and the military doesn't need to go around each individual state's law."
"As you may have heard, I've been a little busy fighting against every Democrat and some Republicans here in D.C.," Tuberville said in the video. "I've become public enemy number one because I'm standing up for the Constitution … I'm going to continue to uphold the law and fight for what is right even if it means standing alone, which I don't mind doing."
"Thank you so much for the Warrior Award," he continued. "What an honor."
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