House Oversight Democrats call for investigation into Tuberville’s military holds

A duo of House Oversight and Accountability Democrats are asking the Government Accountability Office to review Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Ala.) 10-month blockade of military promotions, asking for a review of its impact on national security as well as military families.

Tuberville put a hold on more than 425 military promotions requiring Senate confirmation in protest of Pentagon abortion policy, abandoning the effort late last year amid mounting backlash.

The letter from ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), obtained by The Hill, asks for a review of the “unprecedented blockade of military promotions, including the short- and long-term detrimental effects on [the Defense Department] and our broader national security.”

The letter cites legal issues with forcing the officials to take over their roles in an acting capacity, asking the office to assess how that impacted “military readiness.”

Democrats have previously been critical of Republican fixation on social issues within the military.

“We should be investigating how Sen. Tuberville’s enormous blockade did far more to undermine our nation’s military readiness than anything else,” Garcia said at a recent hearing on “The Risks of Progressive Ideologies in the U.S. Military.”

Friday’s letter also questions the broader impact on military careers and family life.

“Senator Tuberville’s actions created a damaging ripple effect on the careers of service members at all levels. While Senator Tuberville’s holds directly affected hundreds of senior military officials, junior officers indirectly lost the opportunity to rise in rank and gain experience. Such career stagnation radiates massive effects on factors such as servicemember retention, pay, pension, and future opportunities,” the two lawmakers wrote. 

“Military families are also forced to bear the costs of the Senator’s ten-month hold on confirmations. … The hold resulted in instances of military spouses becoming unemployed because of their spouse’s career and location limbo; children of servicemembers ending up not enrolled in schools because expected change-of-station moves were blocked; and families having anticipated coast-to-coast moves cancelled after their belongings had already been shipped,” they added.

Tuberville’s office did not immediately respond for comment Friday morning but has previously said the effort had “some success” despite resulting in no policy changes.

“We didn’t get the win that we wanted. We’ve still got a bad policy. We’ve tried to stand up for the taxpayers of this country,” he said in December.

If the Government Accountability Office accepts the request, it appears it would be the first such investigation of Tuberville’s actions and could help quantify the overall effect of his hundreds of holds.

Such steps are often a precursor for committees before launching their own investigation.