Sen. Tommy Tuberville causes blockage for over 300 nominees on Thursday.
Thursday evening, in advance of Veterans Day, the Senate failed to confirm more than 360 military nominees after Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, a Republican, objected to each one. His objection stems from the Department of Defense’s abortion policies.
This is the second consecutive week that Tuberville has been compelled by other members of the Senate to voice his opposition to military nominees presented for confirmation. On this occasion, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine led the effort to push for the confirmation. After more than an hour of discussion, Tuberville blocked the confirmation of each nominee once again.
Sen. Kaine, in his speech, used the upcoming holiday to urge Tuberville to find alternative ways to address his concerns without penalizing non-political appointees.
Tuberville’s objection to the confirmation of nominees is due to the Department of Defense’s policy to reimburse service members for travel outside their state for abortions. His hold has essentially halted military promotions nationwide for over nine months.
“This is an unlawful and unethical policy. It’s about the sanctity of life, the rule of law, and our Constitution. It’s about whether the Pentagon can dictate policies or if we will adhere to the constitution. This is also about the integrity of our military,” Tuberville stated on the Senate floor. “I cannot simply stand by while the administration injects politics into our military and spends taxpayer money on abortion.”
Tuberville has resisted moving nominees in large groups but has expressed willingness to allow the Senate to move nominees individually. Nevertheless, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has been reluctant to do so, except for select high-profile nominees, citing concerns about politicizing the military.
Following a similar effort by Republican Sens. Joni Ernst and Dan Sullivan last week, Sen. Kaine attempted to persuade Tuberville in two separate floor actions. They tried to move nominees one by one, seeking the unanimous agreement of all 100 senators for their confirmation each time, but Tuberville remained unmoved in his stance.
Tension within the Republican conference is rising due to Tuberville’s hold. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has repeatedly distanced himself from Tuberville’s actions, and several colleagues are beginning to challenge his move publicly.
Earlier this week, Senate Republicans convened a special conference to discuss potential solutions with Tuberville. However, Tuberville made it clear that he has not yet decided whether he would consider any of these alternatives.
Sen. Kaine, after Tuberville rejected his 364 individual nomination requests, left the floor anticipating that Tuberville will soon back down under pressure.
Some evidence indicates that he could be right. The Senate Rules committee is preparing for a meeting to consider a resolution that would temporarily bypass Tuberville’s hold, despite uncertainty over whether it would garner sufficient Republican support.
ABC News’ Mariam Khan contributed to this report.
