Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) signaled Thursday he may be ready to drop his nearly 10-month blockade of military promotions as soon as next week as many Senate Republicans have attempted to find an off-ramp for months, and patience is wearing thin.
The Alabama senator has insisted he will not be lifting his hold on every nominee and would be still enforcing holds on Biden nominees he deems “woke.” Tuberville has been blocking the nominations since early March in protest of the Defense Department‘s new abortion policy and has delayed more than 300 top military nominees.
CAN TRUMP MAKE OBAMACARE REPLACEMENT A RALLYING CRY FOR GOP AGAIN?
“Now, we’re working towards getting, which I’ve been very much for getting the promotions over with, we need to get them promoted,” Tuberville said, speaking with reporters on Thursday afternoon. “We are going through all the people that are up for promotion. We will promote people in the very near future. I don’t know how many people at one time. I’d like to get it done here in the next week or so.”
At the center of the dispute is the Pentagon’s decision to pay for the travel expenses of service members who go out of state to obtain an abortion because of restrictions where they live. Tuberville believes the policy, put into place in response to the Supreme Court‘s reversal of Roe v. Wade last year, is a violation of a federal law that limits federal funding of abortions to cases of rape, incest, or threats to the life of the mother. He has vowed to hold up the nominations of general and flag officers until the Pentagon drops the policy.
The former football coach’s comments come as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has threatened to bring a resolution to the floor that could allow the consideration of 350 nonpolitical military promotions at one time, bypassing Tuberville’s blockade.
Tom Williams/AP
The plan would allow senators to change procedure temporarily without making a permanent rule change and could allow most of the stalled promotions to be considered on the floor in large batches. Major promotions of military leaders, such as those on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would require individual votes.
“We’re willing to let the Republicans solve this on their own,” Schumer said during a floor speech on Thursday. “Let me be clear: If Republicans are not able to get Sen. Tuberville to stand down quickly, we are going to hold a vote on our resolution to confirm these nominees before we leave this year.”
The backlog of Pentagon nominees, which could grow to as large as 650 by the end of the year, is typically approved without objection, usually in batches. Tuberville lacks the power to block the promotions entirely — Schumer can and has previously put some individual nominations up for a vote, but the hold would require him to advance every nomination one by one, eating up valuable floor time.
At one time, Republican lawmakers considered filing a lawsuit against the Pentagon to strike down the policy that provides reimbursements for military personnel traveling out of the state for reproductive care. They also weighed including provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act to invalidate the policy, but that couldn’t pass the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Before the Thanksgiving break, a group of Republican senators, many of whom serve on the Armed Services Committee, attempted to advance nominees via unanimous consent, and Tuberville blocked every attempt.
After all Republicans on the Senate Rules Committee voted against the measure a couple of weeks ago, some in the party are beginning to signal they would vote for the resolution as a last resort.
“The standing order is not my personal preference, but at the end of the day, this is having a really, really negative impact on readiness and morale during a very dangerous time,” said Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), who sits on the Armed Services Committee.
“The time is now. Most senators are like, ‘This has gone on too long,’” he said.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) also said he’d support the resolution if no solution is reached by the beginning of the new year.
Tuberville argued he doesn’t believe Schumer has the votes to temporarily change the Senate rules and overcome his holds. To move forward with this method, 60 votes will be needed, meaning votes from nine Republicans to join with all Democrats.
“I don’t think he’s got the votes,” Tuberville said.
While many Republicans have made it clear they agree with Tuberville’s stance on the Pentagon policy, they are now publicly admitting the blockade could ultimately affect military readiness worldwide.
“There are hundreds of officers whose nominations are being held up and virtually all of them. Those officers have no role in deciding on this policy or even, for most of them, implementing this policy,” said Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). “Sen. Tuberville has committed to finding a resolution that will allow the vast majority of those nominations to go forward because it’s not fair to punish officers who have spent their lives defending our nation.”
“The mechanism in which Tommy chooses an exit ramp, we will let him determine that. That’s the prerogative of every senator. I’m working with him to try to help facilitate that,” Cruz added.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), a former member of Senate leadership, said while the exact route in which Tuberville’s holds will be dropped is unknown, he’s fairly confident the standoff will end soon.
“There’s nothing like a deadline to get us to act. Sen. Schumer is going to put the standing rule vote on the floor soon, so I think that’s what is precipitating this action,” Cornyn said.
