Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is advancing votes on three military nominees, amid a Senate standoff over a Department of Defense policy that compensates service members for abortion-related travel.
These cloture motions come as the Senate’s process for considering military nominations has been stalled for months. While the Senate often approves large batches of military promotions and nominees through a single vote under its unanimous consent rules, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) has maintained a hold that prevents the Senate from rapidly confirming large groups of military officials.
Mr. Tuberville has put this hold in place as a means of forcing the DOD to abandon a policy it recently adopted, of compensating service members for abortion-related travel. Mr. Tuberville contends that this policy is in conflict with existing federal law, codified in the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funds from going toward abortions except in cases where a pregnancy is a result of rape or incest or instances where the life of the mother is in danger.
Mr. Tuberville has said he will maintain his hold on military nominations until the DOD either retracts this policy or Congress changes its laws regarding how and when federal funds can go toward abortions.
Votes Advance Following GOP Pressure
Amid Mr. Tuberville’s effort to challenge the DOD abortion policy, the Senate has seen a growing backlog of military promotions and nominations that need confirmation. Around 300 military positions are currently awaiting a Senate vote, and numerous high-level positions lack fully Senate-confirmed leaders.Citing this ever-expanding backlog of military nominees, some military leaders and Democratic politicians have accused Mr. Tuberville of undermining military readiness and national security.
Mr. Tuberville has responded to criticism from across the aisle by reminding his Democratic counterparts that they have always had the ability to process military nominees, even with his move that blocks consideration of large groups of nominees under the unanimous consent rules. He has argued that the various military roles that lack Senate-confirmed officials can be sufficiently handled by officials serving in an acting capacity and that if Democrats are truly concerned, they can start scheduling votes on individual nominees.
While Mr. Tuberville’s cloture motion would have circumvented his own hold on a unanimous consent measure for all military nominees, it could have forced Senate Democrats to go on the record as to whether or not they would accept one-off votes on military nominees as a stopgap while the standoff over the DOD abortion travel policy continues.
Mr. Schumer directly noted Mr. Tuberville’s cloture effort on Wednesday, calling it an “act of desperation.”