Senate Democrats Call on McConnell to Put Pressure on Tuberville to End His Hold on Military Promotions

Democrats in Congress are continuing to speak out against Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and his refusal to allow action to confirm the promotions of U.S. military leaders unless the Biden administration changes its policy of reimbursing members of the military for travel expenses incurred when the service member needs to go out of state to have an abortion.

Mr. Tuberville, a steadfast opponent of abortion, has been holding fast to his position since February.

On July 24, eight members of the Senate Armed Services Committee—seven Democrats and one independent—signed a letter sent to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in which they called on him to use his influence as the head of the GOP in the Senate to persuade Mr. Tuberville, who is also a member of the Armed Services Committee, to end his holdout.

Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), the lead signatory of the letter, was joined by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Angus King (I-Maine), who caucuses with the Democrats.

“We write you today to share our deep concern for the stability of our Armed Services and national security and call on you to exercise your leadership to protect the readiness of our military,” said the senators.

The senators continued: “In the coming months, more than half of the current Joint Chiefs are required to vacate their posts, and due to Senator Tuberville’s stonewalling, they’ll do so without a Senate-approved successor in place.

“During this time of heightened global tensions, failing to fill these critical positions is not only imprudent but risks our national security.”

Close to 300 promotions of senior officers have been halted. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin estimates that number will rise to 650 by the end of the year.

The office of Mr. McConnell—who in May said he disapproved of Mr. Tuberville’s tactics in preventing military promotions—pointed The Epoch Times to a statement that Mr. McConnell gave reporters last week.

“The problem with getting rid of the holds is you dramatically reduce the uniqueness of the Senate, which is that every single member can have an impact, and so I’m reluctant to go down that path,” Mr. McConnell said. “We have holds on both sides. What typically happens is you work it out and I think that’s where we ought to stay.”

While Mr. McConnell did not comment specifically on the letter, his press secretary Doug Andres did, writing on Twitter, “Did Democrats forget that they’re in the majority and control the floor?”

In fact, though, the rules of the Senate do offer Mr. Tuberville an advantage in that they allow for one senator to hold up legislation even if the other 99 support the bill and want to move forward.

A Path Forward?

Mr. Tuberville has pledged to end his holdout if he is granted a vote in the Senate on the Department of Defense’s (DOD’s) abortion policy.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said if Mr. Tuberville and other GOP senators want a vote on DOD abortion policy the Democrats would not oppose it.

“If he wants to have an affirmative vote, we would not object to it. Tuberville said he wanted a vote, we’ll see what happens,” Mr. Schumer told NBC News.

Tuberville Committed to Defeating DOD Abortion Policy

Mr. Tuberville has defended his position and emphasized that he gave his colleagues fair warning of his plan if the DOD’s abortion policy remains in place.

He stated where he stood on the policy the day after it was announced in February.

Mr. Tuberville also spoke on his position during a debate on the Senate floor on March 23.

“Federal law only allows the military to provide abortions in three very narrow circumstances: rape, incest, and threat to the life of the mother,” said Mr. Tuberville. “Yet the Biden administration has turned the DOD into an abortion travel agency. They did it by using just a memo.”

On July 22, Mr. Tuberville wrote on Twitter: “An unprecedented change to the military’s abortion policy ought to go before the people’s elected representatives in Congress. No matter what Democrats say, I’m going to keep my word.”

Among the small number of prominent Republicans who support Mr. Tuberville’s position are Sens. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Mr. DeSantis addressed the issue in an appearance on July 20 on the Hugh Hewitt podcast.

“Do you think Senator Tuberville should remove those holds on the career chain of command, because it’s really screwing things up?” asked Mr. Hewitt.

“No, I don’t. And the reason is … the military’s policy is not following U.S. law,” said Mr. DeSantis. “They are using tax dollars.

“They are funding abortion tourism, which is not an appropriate thing for the military to be doing. So I think our Republicans in the Congress should just take a stand on this. The DOD should stand down.”

The senators who signed the letter might view Mr. McConnell as the only hope to reactivate the process of confirming military promotions.

“As the leader of the Republican Conference, we count on you to hold your colleagues accountable when they recklessly cross boundaries and upend Senatorial order,” wrote the senators. “Senator Tuberville’s continuation of this stalemate is reckless, dangerous, and must end.

“It falls to you to act now, for the safety and security of our nation. We urge you to exercise your leadership and prevail on Senator Tuberville to end his reckless hold.”