Tuberville on the ropes after Senate GOP revolts over blockade

A GOP revolt on the Senate floor Wednesday night represented a tipping point in Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) monthslong blockade of Pentagon nominees.

The senator, protesting the department’s abortion policy, has since March withstood blistering attacks by Democrats who say his holds, now blocking the promotions of nearly 400 general and flag officers, are harming military readiness.

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He’s unflinchingly refused to budge despite pleas from his own GOP colleagues, who disagree with his tactics even as they support his goal — reversing a policy that pays for the travel expenses of servicewomen seeking abortions.

Until now, those pleas have largely been made in private. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has publicly denounced Tuberville’s tactics, as have some of the chamber’s institutionally minded Republicans. But, by and large, the conference has sought to steer him toward an off-ramp, something that would allow him to save face while ending a crisis that has ensnared officers at the highest echelons of the military.

That all ended on Wednesday. The same Republicans who were quietly plotting an end to the conflict, pitching him on everything from a vote to reverse the policy to a more limited hold for civilian nominees, had now become fierce critics.

Across four-plus hours, a group of Republican defense hawks, led by Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK), brought up 61 nominees for voice votes, only for Tuberville to block each one.

Tuberville prevailed, ending the night with his blockade intact. But he lost on Wednesday something he’s had for seven months — the goodwill and patience of his colleagues.

The attacks at times became personal. Sullivan accused Tuberville of calling lower-ranking officials “desk jockeys,” something he denies, and Ernst even questioned his honor as a man.

“We have done the best we can to honor the request of a fellow senator that these nominations be brought to the floor and voted on individually,” she said. “I really respect men of their word. I do not respect men who do not honor their word.”

Tuberville could easily survive the pressure with the conference protecting him. The question now becomes how long he can resist without it.

That’s not to say Tuberville does not still have his defenders. His party’s right flank urged him to hold the line following the floor revolt, calling his protest a principled stand against an unconstitutional power grab by the Pentagon. But the conflict is clearly reaching a breaking point.

Tuberville, under pressure from his party, forced a vote to confirm the Joint Chiefs chairman last month. He did so again on Tuesday, this time to ensure the Marines were not without a deputy chief after the commandant was hospitalized.

Each move insulated him from momentary pressure — all Joint Chiefs nominees will be confirmed because Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) used the opportunities to schedule votes on them, despite an earlier refusal to do so.

But they don’t resolve the anxieties of his Senate colleagues, who worry the holds will have lasting consequences for national security.

Tuberville has two choices. He can either accept one of the off-ramps Republicans have given him or run the risk of Democrats circumventing his blockade once and for all.

Democrats, with the support of Schumer, have introduced a resolution that would allow the promotions to be considered in one large batch, with exceptions for combatant commanders and Joint Chiefs nominations.

That resolution will require either 60 or 67 votes to pass, meaning nine to 16 Republicans would need to come along for the ride.

Right now, the votes aren’t there. But if the conference decides that Tuberville won’t cooperate, even after the floor protest, they will be tempted to provide the necessary votes.

Neither Ernst nor Sullivan ruled out supporting the resolution when asked about it, and even staunch Tuberville defenders such as Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) indicated they would support the conference’s decision.

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“If the conference decides to do it, then I would, but personally, I don’t like the idea,” he told the Washington Examiner.

The blockade, according to Mullin, will be discussed in the Senate GOP’s Thursday lunch.