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Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., arrives for President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with U.S. Senators in the Capitol on Thursday, September 21, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Bill Clark | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
WASHINGTON — Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., announced Tuesday that he is dropping the bulk of his monthslong hold on hundreds of military nominations.
Tuberville told reporters that he has lifted his hold on all military promotions three-star and below, amounting to over 400 promotions.
“I’m releasing everybody. I still got a hold on, I think, 11 four-star generals. Everybody else is completely released from me.” Tuberville told reporters. “But other than that, it’s over.”
The Alabama Republican had been holding up military nominations for months in protest of the Defense Department’s policy that allows service members to be reimbursed for travel costs related to getting an abortion.
Tuberville had signaled last week that he might drop some of his holds on military promotions “very soon.” He didn’t specify at the time how many promotions he would let through but said he wanted to get as many people as possible through “in the next week or so” and wouldn’t decide based on “levels” of rankings.
“I know these people, you know, need to be promoted,” he said last week.
Earlier Tuesday, Tuberville had announced a press conference related to the holds for 1:40 p.m. ET and then canceled it with no reason given.
Some of the military nominations Tuberville has blocked for months include top officers who would command U.S. forces in the Middle East. Since Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, the Pentagon has moved aircraft and military carriers into the region to help assist and support Israel.
Tuberville even drew criticism from members of his own party. GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, for example, denounced the senator’s effort. She said in August that his blockade was having a detrimental effect on service members as well as military readiness.
Top military leaders, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, have been warning for months about the consequences of his hold, including the possibility of losing talent.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said last week on the floor that he would bring to the floor a Democratic resolution to bypass Tuberville’s holds, but it wasn’t clear if he’d have the votes to pass it.
Frustrations with Tuberville among his own party have building. But last week, Senate Republicans overwhelmingly expressed optimism that Tuberville would come to a resolution, ending his blockade, before they leave for the new year.
“I was involved in a lot of conversations over the weekend on this subject, and I think that I’m hopeful,” Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Tuesday morning. “I’m hopeful that today, we’re going to–keep your fingers crossed, we’ll see, I hope we have a breakthrough but time will tell.”Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said last week on the floor that he would bring to the floor a Democratic resolution to bypass Tuberville’s holds, but it wasn’t clear if he’d have the votes to pass it.
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