Senate approves back pay for officers caught in Tuberville military blockade

The Senate approved a bill to compensate senior officers for lost pay due to Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) monthslong blockade on military promotions.

The legislation, introduced days after Tuberville relented from his holds, attracted little controversy. The Senate approved it by unanimous consent on Thursday evening, and Tuberville himself was a co-sponsor.

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But it follows a bitter fight in which the Pentagon’s abortion travel policy set Tuberville at odds with Democrats and, eventually, some Republican defense hawks who disagreed with his tactics.

Democrats ultimately won that fight, with Tuberville dropping his holds last week for all promotions except four-star officers. But the bill reflects the bipartisan concern over the lingering effect his blockade could have on military readiness.

Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Tuberville’s protest, which delayed the promotions of more than 400 general and flag officers, had a cascading effect down the chain of command and kept military families asked to relocate in limbo. Senators feared the gridlock would prompt a wave of early retirements.

The legislation, introduced last week by Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), is an answer to those concerns, setting a retroactive start date for the officers so they can reap the pay increase they would have otherwise earned.

The bill grants those raises effective 30 days after a nominee advanced out of the Armed Services Committee.

“It’s just a good piece of legislation. It doesn’t cost any money. We already had the money appropriated for it; it just got held up for eight months to get their positions,” Manchin told the Washington Examiner. “So, it’s a way to fix all of the chaos that has been going on. It’s a way to fix all that, and it’s the right thing to do.”

Tuberville did not lift his blockade entirely — he is still keeping the Senate from approving a dozen four-star promotions in one large batch. But the saga could end as soon as next week as the Senate considers a series of individual votes on the nominees while members negotiate a deal to approve some $60 billion in funding for Ukraine.

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Tuberville told the Washington Examiner he is willing to reach a time agreement that allows the Senate to expedite those votes but says no one in leadership, Democratic or Republican, has so far reached out to him about such a deal.

The bill, while it cleared the Senate without opposition, would still need to pass the lower chamber before heading to President Joe Biden’s desk.