The Pentagon has rescinded a policy from the Biden administration that permitted service members to receive reimbursement for travel expenses incurred when seeking abortions in states other than where they are stationed. This change was communicated through a memo issued by Sarah Moore, Deputy Director of the Defense Travel Management Office, on January 29, 2025. The memo announced the removal of paragraph 033013 from the Pentagon’s Joint Travel Regulations, effective immediately.
The original directive, established by former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in October 2022, aimed to support service members and their dependents in accessing abortion services, especially those stationed in states with restrictive abortion laws. This policy was implemented following the Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision that overturned the federal right to abortion.
Critics, particularly among Republican lawmakers, argued that the policy violated the Hyde Amendment—a 1977 law prohibiting the use of federal funds for abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is at risk. Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama notably blocked military promotions in the Senate for nearly a year in protest, asserting that the policy contravened the Hyde Amendment.
The recent policy reversal aligns with President Donald Trump’s executive order titled “Enforcing the Hyde Amendment,” issued on January 24, 2025. This order nullified two executive orders from President Joe Biden in 2022 that sought to protect and secure access to reproductive healthcare services across various federal programs.
Opposition to the policy change has emerged from figures such as Representative Mikie Sherrill, a New Jersey Democrat and U.S. Naval Academy graduate who served a decade in the Navy. Sherrill expressed concern that the decision could endanger servicewomen’s health, potentially deterring individuals from military service and exacerbating recruitment and retention challenges.
