Tommy Tuberville caves in, Pentagon wins abortion policy standoff

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Sen. Tommy Tuberville on Tuesday dropped his nearly yearlong blockade against all military nominees below four-star promotions, greenlighting Senate confirmation of more than 400 promotions at the Pentagon.

The Alabama Republican’s decision staved off Democrats’ temporary rule change to circumvent his hold, which was expected to garner enough Republican support to pass amid mounting frustration from GOP colleagues that he was jeopardizing national security.

Mr. Tuberville broke the news to Republicans during a working lunch before telling reporters outside the room.

“It’s been a long fight. We fought hard,” he said. “We did the right thing for the unborn and for our military, fighting back against executive overreach and an abortion policy that’s not legal.”

Mr. Tuberville has prevented the confirmations of any military promotions over the last roughly 10 months in protest of the Pentagon’s policy to pay for time off and travel expenses for service members to receive out-of-state abortions.

The Pentagon refused to relent despite the holds, making the case that abortion access in a post-Roe v. Wade era was crucial for battle readiness.

Mr. Tuberville conceded he was unsuccessful in changing the Biden administration’s position but said he had no regrets about his tactic, which fellow Republicans argued was punishing career military officials with no connection to the abortion policy. 

“I think we opened our eyes a little bit. We didn’t get the win that we wanted,” he said. “We still got the bad policy.”

The lift of Mr. Tuberville’s holds applies to the vast majority of the more than 450 pending promotions. There are at least 11 generals and admirals up for four-star positions, which Mr. Tuberville said the Senate will still need to confirm one by one with roll call votes. They include the vice chiefs of the various services and the commanders of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Northern Command, Space Command, and Cyber Command. 

Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said the Defense Department was “encouraged” by the news but that the four-star promotions “require experienced senior leaders in these positions.”

“We have a very important mission in terms of defending this nation, and anytime you add a level of uncertainty into the chain of command, it creates an unnecessary friction,” Brig. Gen. Ryder said.

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, will no longer bring legislation to a vote that would have allowed the confirmation of the promotions en bloc via unanimous consent.

He confirmed the more than 400 non-four-star personnel en bloc by voice vote Tuesday evening just hours after Mr. Tuberville reversed course.

“I hope no one does this again, and I hope they learn the lesson of Sen. Tuberville,” Mr. Schumer said. “He held out for many, many months, hurt our national security, caused discombobulation to so many service members and didn’t get anything that he wanted.”

Senate Republicans, including those in leadership, lobbied Mr. Tuberville to drop his blockade to avoid voting on the temporary rules change.

“I truly hope that other senators, when they look at holding innocent parties, that they make that decision not to,” said Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, an Army veteran.

Mr. Tuberville, a former Auburn University football coach, used an analogy from his career before the Senate to describe the monthslong saga that was coming to an end. 

“When you change the rules, it’s hard to beat somebody,” he said. “I’d love to have five downs in football instead of four.”

• Mike Glenn contributed to this report.