Senate Democrats are employing a novel strategy to resolve the confirmation issue surrounding hundreds of military officers that have been blocked by Sen. Tommy Tuberville for ten months. The Alabama Republican initially stated his objection to the nominations due to a Pentagon abortion policy.
During a Senate floor session on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that a resolution will soon be considered to facilitate the swift confirmation of nearly 400 officers up for promotion or nominated for other senior positions. Currently, the Senate is facing a stalemate on these nominations because Tuberville is opposing the customary process of confirming them collectively through unanimous consent. Voting on them individually would consume weeks or even months of the Senate’s time.
Schumer also moved to hold votes this week on three high-ranking Pentagon officers who have been affected by the holds: Adm. Lisa Franchetti, Gen. David Allvin, and Lt. Gen. Christopher Mahoney.
These maneuvers by the Senate Democrats come at a time when tensions in Israel are escalating and frustrations with Tuberville’s holds are mounting across party lines. Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, a Republican, was able to gather enough signatures to force a vote on Franchetti and Allvin. According to an anonymous source familiar with the situation, Sullivan expressed his frustration regarding the issue during the weekly GOP lunch.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell criticized the holds, referring to them as “a bad idea.” McConnell claimed to have tried convincing Tuberville to express his opposition in a different manner.
The recent efforts to bypass Tuberville were prompted by the hospitalization of Gen. Eric Smith, the Marine Corps commandant. While Smith was confirmed to the top position last month, he had been temporarily serving as both the commandant and assistant commandant due to the hold on Mahoney’s nomination for the No. 2 position.
In early September, Smith publicly discussed the challenges of juggling the responsibilities of both positions. He stated that the demanding schedule is unsustainable, especially given the constant nature of threats and tasks.
Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, the deputy commandant for combat development, is currently performing the duties of commandant in Smith’s absence. However, since Heckl is not in a Senate-confirmed position, he lacks the full power and authority of a confirmed officer.
Schumer attributes Smith’s medical emergency to Tuberville’s reckless holds and describes it as a preventable emergency.
Tuberville has shown no indication of lifting the holds since announcing them in February. Despite numerous high-level vacancies, Tuberville insists on maintaining the holds unless the Pentagon reverses its policy on paying for out-of-state travel for service members seeking abortion or reproductive care. This policy was implemented by the Biden administration following the Supreme Court’s ruling on abortion rights.
Democrats have rejected Tuberville’s proposal for individual floor votes on each nomination, citing the lengthy process and the potential for delaying other Senate priorities.
As the number of stalled nominations increases, the Democrats’ strategy of forcing Tuberville’s hand becomes increasingly challenging.
“Every day that Sen. Tuberville continues his blanket holds, our military preparedness is degraded,” said Schumer.
Several military officers have spoken out about the damaging effects of the delays on service members. While Tuberville’s holds primarily target general and flag officers, they also have career implications for younger officers in the military. Until each general or admiral is confirmed, opportunities for junior officers to advance are blocked.
