By The Senate is set to confirm a new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wednesday amidst obstacles created by Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s holds on military nominations over the Pentagon’s abortion policy. Tuberville’s blockage of group nominations has frustrated Democrats who are unwilling to go through the lengthy process of addressing individual nominations for a vote.
In an unexpected move, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, has decided to push for votes on three high-ranking nominees despite the holds. The nominees in question are Gen. CQ Brown, who will replace Gen. Mark Milley as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Randy George as Army Chief of Staff, and Gen. Eric Smith as the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Though Tuberville did not object to the confirmation votes, he intends to uphold his holds, suggesting that the nominations be voted on individually through a roll call process, which could potentially delay other priorities and last for months.
Schumer has expressed his frustration with Tuberville’s obstruction and stressed that it must not continue. Brown’s confirmation is expected later in the evening, while votes on Smith and George are anticipated to take place within this week.
While White House national-security spokesman John Kirby acknowledges the positive news of the likely confirmations, he emphasizes that the situation should have never arisen. Kirby points out that even if these three officers are confirmed, it does not resolve the problem or offer a way forward for the 316 other general and flag officers awaiting approval due to these holds.
Senate Republican Tuberville’s Standoff with Pentagon Policy
Senator Tommy Tuberville, a Republican from Alabama, has taken a strong stance against the Pentagon’s policy of reimbursing travel expenses for service members seeking out-of-state reproductive care, including abortions. Introduced by the Biden administration following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn nationwide abortion rights, this policy has faced pushback from states that have restricted or banned the procedure.
Tuberville has made it clear that he will not back down. On Wednesday, he expressed his intention to block other nominations until this policy is changed or the nominations are voted on individually. He directed his comments at Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, stating, “Let’s do one at a time or change the policy back.”
Democrats have tried various tactics to pressure Tuberville into relenting. Initially, they refused to bring individual nominations to the floor, as confirming them separately would take a significant amount of time. Yet, as the standoff continued, Schumer found himself without any other options.
Accusing Tuberville of using the nominees as pawns, Schumer called his actions “totally irresponsible.” President Biden echoed this sentiment back in July. It remains to be seen how this tense situation will be resolved, and Schumer did not indicate whether additional nominations would be presented for a vote.
The past few months have seen a convoluted procedural back-and-forth between the two sides. However, despite the lack of a change in Pentagon policy, Tuberville viewed Schumer’s move as a victory. “We called them out, and they blinked,” he triumphantly told reporters.
Also See (October 2022): Senate Republican Tuberville alleges that Democrats want to provide slavery reparations to ‘the people that do the crime’
Read on (December 2020): Senator-elect Tuberville, fresh from congressional orientation, misidentifies the three branches of government
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