Senate clears promotions: The United States Senate overwhelmingly approved the promotions of almost a dozen military service personnel who had been held up for months due to Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s protest against the military’s abortion regulations.
Tuberville, an Alabama Republican, has been delaying the promotions of more than 400 military members since early last year due to the Pentagon’s policy of reimbursing service members who go out of state to obtain the contentious medical treatment.
Democrats slammed his decision, and he yielded earlier this month, allowing all but 11 four-star generals to be approved.
And, despite gaining no compromises, he withdrew his final objection to the almost dozen high-ranking military personnel on Tuesday.
“These 11 flag officers have now been approved, joining the rest of their colleagues who we approved a few weeks ago,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said after the confirmation on the Senate floor.
“That’s good news.”
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Tuberville began his protest in February, when he blocked more than 400 military promotions in protest of the Pentagon’s decision to provide service personnel administrative leave and travel fees for abortions.
In an October 2022 memo, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the new policies, as many Republican-led states sought to ban abortions in the aftermath of the conservative-leaning Supreme Court repealing federal protections for the medical practice by overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
Tuberville’s protest drew harsh condemnation from Democrats as it dragged on, with charges that it constituted a threat to national security by leaving critical posts unoccupied.
Prior to the confirmation, Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island, told reporters at a news conference Tuesday that he was prepared to stay in the Senate until the other 11 service members affected by Tuberville’s blanket blockage were confirmed.
“Collectively, these 11 officers have won over 250 major awards, from the Purple Heart to the Legion of Merit,” he went on to say. “To me, they have received their promotions because of the quality of their service and their selfish sacrifice to the nation, and they have to be promoted.”
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