The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Donna Robert
A handful of Republican senators reluctantly concluded they may have to side with Democrats to end Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s blockade against confirming hundreds of military promotions.
It’s the latest sign of frustration in the GOP ranks, though Democrats still don’t have the votes needed to break Mr. Tuberville’s hold.
The former Auburn University football coach’s 10-month blockade to protest the Pentagon’s abortion policy has several of his GOP colleagues openly weighing a temporary rule change to end the logjam of some 450 nominees awaiting Senate confirmation.
Senate Democrats on the Rules Committee approved the rule change to allow confirmation of all pending Pentagon nominations and prevent any senator from issuing blanket holds through the end of the current Congress.
“That’s not my first preference,” Alaska GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan told The Times. “But at the end of the day, this is having a really, really negative impact on readiness and morale during a very dangerous time.”
Sen. Mitt Romney, Utah Republican, said he, too, was weighing Democrats’ legislation as an option.
“I haven’t taken a position, but I’m open to doing that,” he told The Times. “We have to promote our military personnel, otherwise the burden on them and our military is excessive.”
Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine told The Times that Mr. Tuberville is “holding hostage people who have nothing to do with the policy” and that supporting Democrats’ workaround is on the table.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, has not scheduled a floor vote on the rule change.
The No. 2 Senate Republican leader, Minority Whip John Thune of South Dakota, would not commit Tuesday to whipping his members for or against circumventing Mr. Tuberville. He criticized both Mr. Tuberville and Senate Democrats.
“I just hate to see us going down the path of changing precedent,” Mr. Thune told reporters. “We realize that there are a lot of key military positions at stake here [and] military families at a time when the world is dangerous, and this is not an issue to be trifled with.”
The rule change would need the support of all 51 Democrats plus nine Republicans to pass — a tall order for most legislation. Democrats currently do not have enough GOP votes to pass the rule change.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham earlier this month became the first Republican to threaten to side with Democrats.
“I promise you this: This will be the last holiday this happens. If it takes me to vote to break loose these folks, I will,” Mr. Graham said on the Senate floor before Thanksgiving. “To my pro-life friends: You’re not advancing this cause. You’re hurting this cause if the average American believes that the reason these people are getting blocked from promotion is because of a policy choice they didn’t make.”
The Pentagon policy funds travel expenses and provides paid time off for out-of-state abortions of servicemembers, a move that Republicans say is illegal because it amounts to taxpayer-funded abortions.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has defended the policy as a necessity for battle readiness.
Mr. Tuberville said this week that military officials reached out over the Thanksgiving recess and urged him to stay the course. He declined to name the officials.
Attaching language to the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which lawmakers are negotiating, has emerged as Mr. Tuberville’s apparent preferred route to ending the Pentagon abortion policy. But that would be a nonstarter for Democrats and President Biden.
Republican senators have urged Mr. Tuberville to seek legal action against the Pentagon rather than his blockade.
Ms. Ernst said she doesn’t buy the argument from Mr. Tuberville and other conservatives that the pileup of promotions and empty positions isn’t degrading national security, something top Pentagon officials say is at risk.
“Regardless of what Coach or some of these others might say, it is hurting our military readiness,” she said.
