Democratic lawmaker knocks Tuberville's hold on military promotions: 'Beyond distressing'

WASHINGTON — Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., called Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s hold on military promotions “bizarre” and slammed her fellow senator’s actions as a jeopardization of national security.

Tuberville has been holding up over 200 military promotions over the Pentagon’s policy reimbursing travel expenses for service members who travel out-of-state for an abortion. Tuberville has argued the policy is a violation of the Hyde amendment, which bars federal funding for most abortions even though the policy only reimburses travel expenses and not the procedure.

Duckworth, a military veteran, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that Tuberville has been offered by both Senate Democrats and Republicans multiple options to proceed forward with the promotions, but he has refused. She added that she thinks he has “backed himself into a corner,”

When asked whether he thought his actions could endanger national security, Tuberville told CNN last week that if he thought there was a risk, “I wouldn’t be doing this” and his holdout is “not gonna hold up readiness for the military.”

Tuberville’s actions have drawn condemnation from Democrats including President Joe Biden, who accused Tuberville of “jeopardizing U.S. security.”

Duckworth on Sunday echoed the president’s comments and dismissed Tuberville’s claims his position is not a threat to national security.

“It is bizarre for Senator Tuberville to say that he's not jeopardizing national security when he injects politics into the defense process. And frankly this is not the time to do it, not when there is a war going on in Europe, not when American leadership is vital to the international global order,” Duckworth said, adding that the holds are “beyond distressing” to her.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor last week “the onus is on Republican senators” to get Tuberville “to back off his reckless pursuit.”

Even then, Senate Republicans have shown no appetite to pressure Tuberville to allow the promotions to proceed on the Senate floor. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters last month he disagreed with Tuberville’s methods, but did not publicly indicate whether he would attempt to hash out an agreement with Tuberville.

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“I think holding the military personnel who have nothing to do with policy in order to try to dictate a policy change that I personally support is not the best way to go about it,” McConnell said. “But as you can see … he has a different point of view.”

Other Republicans, such as Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, defended Tuberville’s hold and said the senator from Alabama “has the right” to stall military promotions.

“Every senator has the right to place holds on nominees on an issue of policy importance,” Sullivan said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, also accusing Duckworth of hypocrisy, pointing to when she blocked over 1,100 military promotions in 2020.

But Duckworth defended herself against Sullivan’s claims. She noted her blockade lasted only two weeks compared to Tuberville’s hold which has dragged on since February.

“This is something that is done often in the Senate, but not to the extent that Senator Tuberville is doing it,” Duckworth said. “And right now, Senator Tuberville is jeopardizing our nation's ability to lead the free world at a time when there's a war in Europe because he wants to inject politics into this.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democratic lawmaker calls out Tuberville's hold on military promotions