Pentagon fumes as Republican lawmaker holds up key promotions

The Pentagon fumed against Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville on Tuesday over his continued hold on key officer nominations in protest of the Department of Defense's abortion policies.

Tuberville has, since March, imposed on a hold on the key Pentagon nominations over the department's decision to pay for travel and provide paid time off for servicemembers and their family members who were seeking abortions.

The Pentagon contends that the lawmaker's holding up the promotions for key military personnel undermines military readiness.

"Without these leaders in place, these holes severely limit the department’s ability to ensure the right person is in place at the right time, and to ensure a strategic readiness and operational success," said Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh, according to The Hill. "These holds set a dangerous precedent and puts our military readiness at risk at a time when our military is expected to defend the nation and meet the acute threat of Russia and address the pacing challenge of the PRC."

Strictly speaking, Tuberville cannot unilaterally block the nominations. Rather, in refusing to grant his consent to their advancement, he may force the Senate to schedule hearings and votes on each officer, eating up valuable floor time. Typically, the upper chamber approves Pentagon nominees in batches by unanimous consent.

Tuberville has insisted that his policy does not compromise military readiness, noting that military personnel are staffing the posts regardless and vowing to keep the hold in place until the Pentagon reverses course.

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