GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville Holds Up Military Promotions To Protest Pentagon’s Abortion Policy

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) blocked Sen. Elizabeth Warren‘s (D-Massachusetts) request to bring over 180 military promotions to the Senate floor. Tuberville opposes the Department of Defense’s (DOD) policy to provide leave and reimburse payments for service members who must travel and get abortions.

Tuberville objected to a DOD policy that allowed military members to request leave for “non-covered reproductive health services.” The policy includes elective abortions and in-vitro fertilization.

The first-term senator’s protests halted the promotion of Shoshana Chatfield to become the military representative to the NATO military committee.

“This is about a tyrannical executive branch walking all over the United States Senate — and doing our jobs,” Tuberville explained, saying the policy is a violation of federal law.  “I warned Secretary Austin that if he did this and changed this, I would put a hold on his highest-level nominees. Secretary Austin went through with the policy anyway in February of this year, so I am keeping my word.”

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), chairman of the Senate Republican Steering Committee, joined Tuberville in protest.

Warren attempted to bypass the conservative blockade by requesting unanimous consent from the Senate to move forward with the military appointments. She said that Tuberville’s protests have national security implications.

“One senator is personally standing in the way of promotions for 184 of our top-level military leaders. One senator is holding up pay raises for men and women in uniform. One senator is blocking key senior military leaders from taking their posts. One senator is jeopardizing America’s national security,” Warren said on the Senate floor.

Her motion failed.