Tuberville clears pivotal hurdle to advance confirmation of Marine Corps' second-in-command

Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville will move to force the Senate to consider the nomination of Marine Lt. Gen. Christopher Mahoney to serve as the Corps' second-in-command after Commandant Gen. Eric Smith reportedly suffered a heart attack on Sunday.

Tuberville on Tuesday began circulating a petition to force the Senate to consider Mahoney's nomination, which would require the support of 16 senators. Steven Stafford, Tuberville's communications director, confirmed to Just the News on Tuesday afternoon that the Alabama lawmaker had already secured enough support to move the nomination forward.

Mahoney was originally tapped for the post in July, though his nomination languished in the upper chamber due largely to Tuberville's blanket hold on military nominations in protest of the Pentagon's policy of providing paid leave for military personnel to obtain abortions. Mahoney could face a final confirmation vote as early as Thursday, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Tuberville first imposed the hold earlier this year, impacting hundreds of Pentagon nominees. While Tuberville cannot unilaterally block the nominees, he can force the Senate to hold hearings and an individual vote on each. The Senate traditionally approves military nominations by unanimous consent in batches.

The Tuesday petition would circumvent his own hold and move Mahoney forward for consideration by the chamber. Tuberville in September circulated a similar petition on now-Joint Chiefs Chairman C.Q. Brown, which prompted Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to make a preemptive move to the same effect. Schumer's effort also included the nominations of Gens. Eric Smith and Randy George for Marine Corps commandant and Army chief of staff, respectively.

"I took it to the floor and said I'm going to do my own cloture vote. I'm going to bring my own vote up, and Schumer says, 'No, no, no. We can't let him do that. He'll grandstand on us. We'll do it,'" Tuberville said on Fox News at the time.

The lawmaker has repeatedly insisted that his hold does not have any adverse impact on military readiness, noting that the myriad vacant posts have acting personnel filling key roles. He has further vowed not to lift the hold until either the Pentagon relents on its abortion policy or Congress approves a law endorsing it.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.