Main Topic: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin criticizes Sen. Tommy Tuberville's hold on military promotions.
Key Points:
1. Austin calls Tuberville's hold on military promotions "unprecedented" and a threat to national security.
2. Austin emphasizes the negative impact of the hold on military readiness and the lives of military families.
3. Tuberville defends his actions, citing objections to a Defense Department policy on abortion and seeks a vote on a bill to codify the policy into law.
Three US military service secretaries have criticized Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville for his ongoing hold on senior military nominations, accusing him of aiding communist and autocratic regimes and damaging national security.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville's blockade of senior military promotions has been criticized by military leaders, who accuse him of "aiding and abetting communists" and warn of negative impacts on combat readiness and the perception of the United States by potential adversaries.
Pentagon leaders are intensifying their campaign to pressure Senator Tommy Tuberville into releasing a nine-month hold on senior military nominations, which they argue is harming national security and aiding autocratic regimes.
CNN's senior political analyst John Avlon criticizes Sen. Tommy Tuberville's decision to hold on to approximately 300 military nominations, deeming it a risk to national security and America's readiness.
Senator Tommy Tuberville, a first-term Republican from Alabama, has single-handedly put a hold on the promotions and nominations of senior U.S. military officers for the past seven months, causing significant disruptions and undermining national security, all in an effort to oppose the Defense Department's policy of paying for female military personnel to travel across state lines for legal abortions.
Republican Rep. Michael McCaul criticizes Sen. Tommy Tuberville's blockage of military nominations, stating that it is paralyzing the Department of Defense and hindering military readiness.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley criticizes Sen. Tommy Tuberville's blockade on military promotions over a Pentagon abortion policy, calling it a "mistake" and accusing him of harming military families.
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville is being criticized for attempting to change Pentagon abortion policy by holding up military nominations and promotions, which is seen as paralyzing the Department of Defense and posing a national security issue.
Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville's hold on military officer promotions in protest of Pentagon policies would require approximately 700 hours of floor time for the Senate to process and vote on each nominee individually, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Former Vice President Mike Pence commends Senator Tommy Tuberville for blocking military appointments in response to the Pentagon's controversial abortion policy, stating that the Pentagon should stand down and that he will remove "woke business" from the military if elected President.
The freezing of military promotions due to Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville's abortion policy hold is causing significant damage to the military, as talented officers are choosing to leave, according to senior military leaders.
Senator Tommy Tuberville plans to force a one-off vote to confirm Gen. Eric Smith as the new commandant for the Marine Corps while maintaining his blockade on over 300 military promotions.
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville and fellow GOP senators may force a procedural vote on the Marine Corps commandant nominee in a breach of Senate protocol to break the Senate's gridlock on stalled military nominees and shift the blame onto Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to bypass Sen. Tommy Tuberville's blockade on military promotions and confirmations by holding floor votes on three top military nominees.
The Senate confirmed Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown as the military's top officer in a surprise vote, but Sen. Tommy Tuberville's blockade is still leaving over 300 senior officers in limbo.
The Senate approved the nominations of Gen. Randy A. George as Army chief of staff and Eric M. Smith as commandant of the Marine Corps, overcoming Sen. Tommy Tuberville's obstruction of senior military officer promotions due to a dispute over a Pentagon abortion policy.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville's hold on military promotions has led to the Senate approving only three out of over 300 nominations, leaving the future of many top defense officials uncertain.
Senator Tommy Tuberville, a Republican from Alabama, is celebrating his success in blocking hundreds of military promotions and vows to continue until the Pentagon changes its abortion policy, drawing criticism from Democrats and military organizations.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville continues to block military nominations over the Biden administration's abortion policy, even amidst the crisis in Israel, insisting that Democrats must move top nominees individually until the Pentagon changes its travel cost policy for troops seeking abortion across state lines.
Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville is maintaining his blockade on hundreds of military promotions, citing his opposition to the Defense Department's policy on funding abortions as the reason, despite the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel.
Despite the ongoing war in Israel, GOP Senator Tommy Tuberville maintains his block on military promotions until the Pentagon's abortion policy is changed, causing a delay in confirming over 300 nominees and hindering the appointment of military leaders during the crisis.
Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) refuses to lift his hold on military promotions, despite tensions between Israel and Hamas, arguing that it does not affect readiness and is a protest against Pentagon policy on abortion care.
Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan will introduce a resolution demanding Sen. Tommy Tuberville to end his blockade on military promotions amid the Israel-Hamas war, citing the threat it poses to American troops and Israeli allies.