Two congressional Republicans are growing more tense over the top leadership of the US military.
A list of nominations for high leadership positions is being blocked by Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL). As described by one of his House counterparts, he is a threat to national security.
The Defense Department opted to provide women in the US military with paid leave and travel fees if they had to go outside of their state to seek an abortion after the Supreme Court invalidated Roe v. Wade last June. Senator Tuberville decided to take action since he disapproves of that decision.
A one-man effort to stop nominations for military jobs that require Senate approval was started by Tuberville, who was elected to the Senate in January 2021 which had an impact on 150 senior officers when he started.
Since there are currently only roughly 270 open positions, none of them have officers who are permanently appointed.
For the first time since the American Civil War, neither the US Navy nor the United States Marine Corps have a verified commander. The Joint Chiefs of Staff should include the heads of both branches.
Two more Joint Chiefs members will have resigned by the end of September, including the chairman, General Mark Milley. The positions Tuberville blocked are currently being filled by acting appointees.
It is interesting that none of Tuberville’s fellow Republicans have jumped on board with his campaign; in fact, one has recently come out openly opposing it.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee’s chair, Representative Mike McCaul (R-TX), criticized the senator for “paralyzing the Department of Defense,” on September 11, calling it a “national security problem” and suggesting that “one man in the Senate” should not be allowed to generate this much controversy.
“The idea that one man in the Senate can hold this up for months — I understand maybe promotions, but nominations? — is paralyzing the Department of Defense,” McCaul stated.
Other Republican senators are pressing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to call individual votes on the candidates in place of Tuberville. Schumer has so far refused, possibly because Tuberville is providing him with a simple means of damaging conservatives.
