Why senator is blocking military promotions

WASHINGTON — Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville is waging an unprecedented campaign to try to change Pentagon abortion policy by holding up hundreds of military nominations and promotions, forcing less experienced leaders into top jobs and raising concerns at the Pentagon about military readiness.

Senators in both parties — including Republican Leader Mitch McConnell — have pushed back on Tuberville's blockade, but Tuberville is dug in. He says he won't drop the holds unless majority Democrats allow a vote on the policy.

For now, the fight is at a stalemate. Democrats say a vote on every nominee could tie up the Senate floor for months. And they don't want to give in to Tuberville's demands and encourage similar blockades of nominees in the future.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that holding up the promotion of military leaders, most of whom have dedicated their lives to protecting the country, “is one of the most abominable and outrageous things I have ever seen in this chamber, witnessed by the fact that no one has ever had the temerity, the gall to do this before.”

Big gamble

Approving military nominations and promotions has long been one of the most bipartisan duties of the Senate. But the Alabama Republican shattered that norm with his blanket hold, which the Pentagon says has already stalled more than 260 nominations of senior officers and could balloon to 650 by the end of the year.

Tuberville says he won't drop the holds until there is a vote on the Pentagon policy. But he hasn't introduced legislation to overturn it. Instead, he has proposed a very specific, unusual strategy: Democrats should introduce their own bill on the policy and hold a vote.

Democratic leaders such as Schumer, who support the existing policy, say it's up to the GOP.

“The onus is on Republican senators to prevail on Senator Tuberville and get him to back off his reckless pursuit,” Schumer said this week.

Pain at Pentagon

In addition to hundreds of one-, two- and three- star generals and admirals, the holds delay the confirmation of the Pentagon's top leaders — who make up the Joint Chiefs of Staff, including the chairman.

Already, the U.S. Marine Corps is without a confirmed leader for the first time in a century. And by law, the current Joint Chiefs chairman, Army Gen. Mark Milley, will step down at the end of September, and the current Army chief will leave his post in early August.

The nominees to succeed them have had hearings, but no votes.

The Pentagon and lawmakers opposed to Tuberville's actions say the holds create a trickledown effect that is hurting military readiness, preventing scores of officers from moving to new jobs, either as nominees or staff members. They argue that less experienced leaders are being forced to step in.

The abortion policy

After the Supreme Court overturned the nationwide right to abortion, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued new policy last October that he said would ensure all troops have access to reproductive health care.

He ordered the department to allow troops and dependents, consistent with federal law, to take time off and use official travel to get to other states for reproductive care not available locally.

The policy does not fund abortions.