Senate panel passes resolution to end Tuberville blockade of military promotions

The Senate Rules Committee advanced a resolution that could allow the consideration of 350 nonpolitical military promotions at one time, bypassing Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) blockade of nominees in protest of the Pentagon’s abortion policy.

The vote was 9 to 7, with all Democrats voting to advance the proposal and all Republicans voting against it. One Republican voting via proxy was not counted in the final breakdown.

BIDEN-XI MEETING HAS REPERCUSSIONS AT HOME AHEAD OF ELECTION: ‘THE US HAS ENOUGH ON ITS PLATE’

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.

“The world is watching us. Sen. Tuberville is not listening to his Democratic or Republican colleagues or anyone that has now spoken out on the Senate floor,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), the chairwoman of the panel. “We need to stand up for our military, our national security, and allow promotions to move forward.”

So far, no Republicans have backed the resolution to get around Tuberville’s hold, which was offered by Senate Armed Services Chairman Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ). Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE), the ranking member of the panel, made it clear she would not support changing Senate rules.

“As a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I understand very well the impact that these nominations and promotions have on our military and our military readiness,” Fischer said during the hearing. “I support moving military nominations and promotions quickly, and I am committed to finding a path forward, but I will not support this effort to change the Senate process. That undermines the long-standing position.”

The votes of the committee foreshadow what is likely to occur on the Senate floor, where it is unlikely to pass since Democrats will need the support of at least nine Republican senators in order to put an end to the hold.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) faced off in rare congressional testimony on ending Tuberville’s hold, which has blocked the Senate’s normal way of confirming military promotions and confirmations for nine months.

Tuberville is protesting the department’s decision to reimburse the travel expenses incurred when a service member or dependent has to travel out of state for a noncovered reproductive healthcare procedure, such as an abortion.

McConnell, who once again made it clear that he does not agree with Tuberville’s strategy, said he could not support the resolution at this time.

“Ultimately, the best path forward for everyone involved will be one that allows us to clear the nomination backlog and preserve our substantive opposition to the Biden administration’s atrocious policy. Productive discussions on that front are ongoing, and we ought to allow them to continue,” McConnell said during his testimony.

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

“I appreciate the work put into the standing order proposal that the committee is considering, but I’m not going to take that route at this particular moment,” he added.

While the Republican leader emphasized he agreed with Tuberville’s stance on the Pentagon policy, he said the blockade could ultimately affect military readiness around the world.

“Any one of us could talk for days about the growing challenges we are facing around the world. But, none of it is worth a dime if we can’t put experienced commanders in command in a timely manner,” McConnell said, pointing out the Alabama senator’s holds affect 370 active duty positions, which could ultimately interfere with 90% of the most senior military commanders by the end of the year.

Schumer, who has vowed to bring the resolution to the floor for a vote, said he was ultimately disappointed with McConnell’s vote but was hopeful there would be a resolution soon.

“I heard Sen. McConnell’s remarks. I had a lot of sympathy with the substance of his remarks, less so with his vote,” Schumer said to reporters following the committee meeting. “I would hope that if he cannot, soon, bring his colleagues together and persuade Sen. Tuberville to back off, that he would join us in voting to pass the resolution. He hasn’t done that yet. But he left the door open, and that leaves me with some degree of optimism.”

Schumer would not clarify when exactly he plans to bring the resolution to the Senate floor.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Earlier this month, a group of Senate Republicans unsuccessfully attempted a maneuver to overcome Tuberville’s blockade. Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Todd Young (R-IN) called up 61 nominees on the Senate floor and spoke in support of them. However, Tuberville continued to block the nominations and maintained he would only release his holds when the Pentagon ends its policy or when the Senate votes on it.

Emily Jacobs contributed to this report.