'Great concern for our military': Tuberville's hold sparks showdown with Ernst, Senate GOP

WASHINGTON — The war raging on between Israel and Hamas and other national security concerns sparked a showdown between some Senate Republicans and Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., over his hold on hundreds of military promotions that have stalled weapon-buying decisions and created hardships for military families.

Tuberville has held up about 300 promotions since February in protest of a Pentagon policy that includes some paid leave and other expenses for service members traveling to have an abortion. The policy was put in place after the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade.

During a Senate session Wednesday, Sens. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Todd Young, R-Ind., Mitt Romney, R-Utah and others urged Tuberville to lift his hold, citing issues such as the border, military readiness and the war in Israel.

Ernst said told CBS News, "This is impacting everybody up and down the entire chain. We're gonna see repercussions from this for probably the next decade to come."

The lawmakers also highlighted the names, biographies and pictures of military nominees who have yet to be confirmed, urging for an individual voice call vote.

“The bedrock of our democracy is that the military will be subordinate to civilian control. … One of the things that I can’t understand is if you require our military to be subordinate to the people above them in the civilian world, why would you punish them for something that they’ve got nothing to do with?” Graham asked.

Romney said, “I rise out of great concern for our military, for its readiness, at a time of great peril, but also out of concern for the men and women who are being held up and whose careers and prospects and families and plans are being interrupted.”

Despite these efforts, Tuberville stood firm in his position to keep the hold, noting that “this is about life, and it’s also about the rule of law.”

“I cannot simply sit idly by while the Biden administration injects politics in our military from the White House and spends taxpayers’ dollars on abortion,” he said.

The skirmish lasted on the House floor for about five hours, with Ernst and Sullivan taking turns in asking for unanimous consent that the Senate vote on confirming several military nominees to their posts, and Tuberville objecting each time.

During the showdown, Kelly Magsamen, chief of staff to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that “It’s way past time for this hold to end.”

“Thankful to the Senators who are taking a stand for our military and their families,” Magsamen said. “We owe them better than this.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tuberville's military hold sparks showdown with Senate Republicans