Democrats on the Senate Rules Committee voted Tuesday to advance a bill that would allow for the quick confirmation of hundreds of military promotions that have been delayed for months by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) in protest of the Pentagon’s abortion policy.
In a 9-7 vote, the Rules Committee sent legislation to the Senate floor that would temporarily allow the upper chamber to approve mass military promotions by simple majority, bypassing Tuberville, who has blocked more than 360 nominations and promotions. since February.
The measure, led by Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), would need the support of at least nine Republicans to reach the 60 votes needed to pass.
“What Senator Tuberville has done is truly an anomaly that causes great harm and requires a response,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said before Tuesday’s vote. “There has been a lot of negativity and dysfunction in the Senate these days, but Senator Tuberville has single-handedly taken the Senate to a new low for months.”
Tuberville has blocked military confirmations in protest of the Pentagon’s abortion policy.Getty Images
Schumer added that he would bring the resolution to the full Senate for a vote “as soon as possible.”
Tuberville, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has blocked confirmations of military officers to key leadership positions in protest of a Defense Department policy that pays for troops to travel out of state for reproductive services, including abortion and in vitro fertilization.
Tuberville’s blockade has prevented the Senate Armed Services Committee from quickly approving nominations by unanimous vote, forcing Schumer to send some promotions to the Senate floor for a vote.
Tuberville has been blocking military confirmations since February. AFP via Getty Images The measure would temporarily allow the full Senate to quickly confirm military promotions.ZUMAPRESS.com
Earlier this month, a group of Republicans challenged Tuberville to end his blockade on the Senate floor, putting forward 61 military nominators for the vote, but Tuberville opposed each candidate.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been critical of the Tuberville protest, opposed the rule change, arguing that negotiations with the Alabama senator that are underway should continue.
“I’m of the opinion that we should allow them to continue,” he said.
“We are still working to try to resolve this issue, so I am not going to support it this afternoon. “We are still hopeful that we can release these military heroes who are not part of any policymaking,” McConnell told reporters before the vote.
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