Senate clears hundreds of military nominations hours after Tuberville lifts hold

The Senate advanced a backlog of military nominations Tuesday, only hours after Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) released the nearly 10-month hold on them he enacted in protest of the Pentagon’s abortion policy.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) moved on more than 400 nominations en bloc via unanimous consent, finally allowing service members to take on their new roles after hanging in limbo for much of the year. 

“Hundreds of military families across the country can breathe a sigh of relief,” Schumer said after the confirmations were complete. “Thank God. These military officers will now get the promotions they so rightfully earned.” 

“I’m happy that after so much unnecessary delay by one senator, we have finally moved forward,” Schumer said.

The deal struck by Tuberville with Republican Sens. Dan Sullivan (Alaska) and Joni Ernst (Iowa) allowed all promotions for officers at the three-star level to be confirmed en bloc. The hold remains in place on those at the four-star level, which applies to nearly a dozen officers. 

Tuberville was under pressure from the pair to relent on his holds, as they went public with their complaints over the past month on the Senate floor in an attempt to advance nominees one at a time. The Alabama senator rejected them.

He was also feeling the heat as a standing resolution was teed up by Senate Democrats that would have effectively changed the chamber’s rules temporarily to allow the Senate to confirm the nominees en masse. 

Senate Republicans lined up against wanting to take the tough vote, which would have forced them to take a side on possible changing the rules and politically on abortion access versus military matters.

“There’s no reason [for that]. We’re not the House,” Tuberville told reporters earlier in the day. “We keep the rules the way they are.”