Senate Democrats have advanced plans to force a floor vote on senior military promotions, potentially ending a nine-month blockade by Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville.
The Alabama Republican has blocked the usually routine moves since February because of the Pentagon's abortion access policy, which provides leave and travel stipends for troops looking to receive abortion services who need to travel across state lines to do so because of local laws banning the procedure. The policy was put in place last year after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to an abortion.
Under the Hyde Amendment, federal funds can't be used toward abortions. While the Pentagon program doesn't directly allocate dollars toward abortion, Tuberville argues that the policy is illegal and on Tuesday, a group of 27 Republican senators sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin demanding he rescind the policy.
Navigating Tuberville's protest, the new proposal would allow the chamber to vote on more than 400 senior military nominations currently in limbo in a single vote rather than individually, which Democrats have argued would take up too much time.
It passed by a 9-7 party line vote in the Rules Committee, with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell voting against it. A Senate floor vote on the resolution will need 60 votes and the support of at least nine Republicans to pass.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he is committed to bringing the rule change before the full chamber "shortly."
Speaking before Tuesday's vote, Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, who is also the chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, accused Tuberville of holding "the entire military chain of command hostage."
"We are here today because one of our colleagues has used the Senate rules to hold the entire military chain of command hostage. That is wrong," she said. "This massive hold is hurting our military readiness and our national security. It's hurting the morale of our troops and it's causing major disruptions in the lives of our military families, who have already sacrificed so much."
Some Republicans said they were against the measure.
"I'm committed to working with my colleagues to find a path forward, but I will not support this effort that undermines the long-standing tradition of the Senate," said Senator Deb Fischer, who is a ranking member on the Rules Committee.
Other Republicans have previously suggested they agree with Tuberville's stance on abortion, but not with his means of protest.
Earlier this month, Senators Joni Ernst of Iowa, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Mitt Romney of Utah, Todd Young of Indiana and Dan Sullivan of Alaska took to the Senate floor to try to get Tuberville to soften his position.
"To say there is no readiness issue, I'm the ranking member on the readiness subcommittee on the Armed Services Committee, there are readiness issues," Sullivan, who serves in the Marine Corps Reserve, said at the time. "With all due respect to my colleague, that's just wrong."
Newsweek has contacted Tuberville via email to comment on this story.
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Kate Plummer is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. politics and national affairs, and ... Read more
