Senate confirms C.Q. Brown as next Joint Chiefs Chairman

For more than six months, Tuberville has stalled military nominations by refusing to grant unanimous consent for the blanket approval of Pentagon nominees in batches, as it conventional.

By Ben Whedon

Published: September 20, 2023 8:11pm

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed the nomination of Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown to chief as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The upper chamber voted 83-11 to confirm him to the post, The Hill reported. Brown's nomination advanced through a procedural vote 89 to 8, earlier Wednesday evening. The final Senate vote means Brown will succeed outgoing Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley.

The development follows Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's scheduling votes on Brown's nomination, as well as two other key military nominees, to circumvent a hold from Alabama GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville.

For more than six months, Tuberville has stalled military nominations by refusing to grant unanimous consent for the blanket approval of Pentagon nominees in batches, as it conventional. He could not, however, unilaterally block their promotions, merely force the chamber to vote on individual nominees.

Tuberville's hold stems from an objection to the Pentagon's policy of providing paid leave to military servicemembers to obtain abortions, which it adopted following the Dobbs v. Jackson decision last year.

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