Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said he does not support Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) hold on military promotions, the first time the Republican leader has broken with the Alabama senator’s blanket hold to protest the Pentagon’s abortion policy.
“I don’t support putting a hold on military nominations. I don’t support that. As to why, you need to ask Senator Tuberville,” McConnell said in response to a question from a reporter at a press conference on Wednesday.
WARREN’S ATTEMPT TO END TUBERVILLE’S ABORTION STANDOFF WITH PENTAGON FAILS
Tuberville has blocked the promotions of 184 senior military officers at the Pentagon. The Alabama senator has taken up the effort to protest the Pentagon’s policy of paying for the travel expenses of a service member or spouse who must go out of state for an abortion due to local laws. The rule was put into place in response to the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade last year.
McConnell’s comments are the first indication that Senate Republican leadership may be running out of patience with the Alabama senator’s hold, which has been in place since February. In late March, Sen. John Thune (R-SD), the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, defended Tuberville’s actions and said nominees are still able to move through the process.
“It is his prerogative. Any individual senator can use their power and their rights as a senator to get the attention of the administration,” Thune said during a press conference on March 28. “The administration can move those nominees. All it takes is 51 votes and if they choose to, they can move them along.”
McConnell’s comments Wednesday come after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote a letter criticizing Tuberville’s hold on senior military promotions, calling it “irresponsible” and “unprecedented,” while also posing “a clear risk to U.S. military readiness, especially at this critical time.
“This indefinite hold harms America’s national security and hinders the Pentagon’s normal operations,” Austin wrote. “The longer that this hold persists, the greater the risk the U.S. military runs in every theater, every domain, and every service.”
Austin’s letter comes in response to a query from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who leads the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Personnel, asking the defense secretary to outline how Tuberville’s blockade is impacting national security.
Tuberville and several other senators blocked an attempt by Sen. Warren late last month to advance nominees through unanimous consent.
It is still unclear how lawmakers intend to move forward, and the Senate minority leader did not offer any indication that they’ve discussed an exit ramp.
“You’ll have to talk to Senator Tuberville about that,” McConnell said.
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Tuberville and other Republican senators argue the hold is not impacting military readiness.
“The facts haven’t changed, so Senator Tuberville’s position hasn’t changed,” a spokesman for the senator said in response to McConnell’s comments on Wednesday.
