Biden rips into ‘ridiculous’ Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville for blocking Pentagon nominees

Joe Biden is tired of the robbery of his Pentagon nominees and promotions, saying Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville “endangers” the preparedness of the US military with the stunt.

Senator Tuberville of Alabama is blocking the promotion and confirmation of senior military leaders in protest of a relatively new Pentagon policy that reimburses military personnel who leave the state for abortions.

He said he will stop blocking the Armed Services Committee’s actions once the policy is reversed and taxpayers’ money no longer funds travel for abortion services.

At a press conference in Helsinki, Finland, on Thursday, the president called on the Republican Party to do something about their colleague blocking the nomination and promotion of senior military leaders.

“I would be willing to talk to him if I thought there was any possibility of him changing his ridiculous position that he has,” Biden said.

“He’s endangering American security by what he’s doing. I expect the Republican Party to stand up, stand up and do something about it.”

Senator Tuberville said he would end the blockade if the Pentagon reversed its directive to use taxpayers’ money to reimburse service members to travel out of state for abortions

The bloc is holding back confirmation of the next Marine Corps commander, leaving the department without an official leader for the first time in 100 years.

Outgoing Commander David Berger resigned from his post on Monday after reaching the term of office. Tuberville holds back General Eric Smith, currently the assistant commander, from being confirmed as his successor by the Senate.

Biden’s choice as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warned Congress on Wednesday that the Tuberville bloc could cause any establishment to lose top talent.

Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown shared his perspective during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Forces Committee on Tuesday, where Tuberville was present.

Abortion is now illegal in Tuberville’s home state of Alabama, meaning that if a service member wants an abortion, they must travel out of the state for the procedure.

Secretary of the Department of Defense Lloyd Austin, after last June’s Dobbs ruling, ordered that service members be paid for their time and that travel costs for the procedure be reimbursed.

The Tuberville blockade, Progressive Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren noted at Tuesday’s hearing, will leave 650 leaders in limbo as they await promotions and appointments.

“My concern is there is future retention,” General Brown warned at the hearing.

He added: “We have our junior officers now looking up and saying, ‘If that’s the challenge we could face in the future. I’m going to balance between my family and fulfilling a higher position.’ And because of those challenges, we are going to lose talent.’

Brown noted that not only are service members affected, but husbands and children are now uncertain about the future as well.

He told the Senate panel on Tuesday that some families have already sold their homes pending relocation and are now in temporary basic housing and others were preparing for retirement but are now being held pending replacements.

Biden’s choice as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General C.Q. Brown (pictured) warned during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday that the military will “lose talent” if the wait of promotions and senior officer appointments continues

Following the overturn of Roe v. Wade last summer, Secretary Austin unveiled a rule that allows the use of funds to pay service workers to leave the state for abortion services if necessary.

The Dobbs Supreme Court decision in June 2022 sent abortion laws back to the states — and more conservative jurisdictions, such as Alabama, imposed restrictive laws on termination of pregnancy.

“The spouse network is alive and well and the spouses will compare notes,” Brown added during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday. “The member may want to serve, but the spouses and the families get a huge voice.”

Caught in the crosshairs of the bloc is the appointment of Assistant Marine Corps Commander Eric Smith to take over when outgoing Commander Berger’s term expires. The Marine Corps now has no Senate-confirmed leader for the first time in 100 years

He said that if families are unhappy, they can influence their spouses or senior officer parents to end their military service.

No nominee for general or admiral has been confirmed for months because of the Tuberville blockade.

The Alabama senator said he would give up the watch if the Pentagon reversed its policy to reimburse travel for troops undergoing abortions.

There are currently over 250 senior promotions pending Senate approval.

Tuberville did not mention the blockade or the DoD’s abortion policy in general during Tuesday’s confirmation hearing.

The Democrats, however, did not pass up their chance to call on the Republican senator.

“What he could do to help is lift this stay before it does more damage to this country,” Senator Warren said.

Virginia Senator Tim Kaine argued during his time that Tuberville punishes apolitical military personnel for policies beyond their control.

“I’m not aware of anything they’ve done that would disrespect them, punish them or slow them down in their careers,” Kaine said. “Just because a privilege can be exercised doesn’t mean it should be exercised.

“I urge all my colleagues to turn away from the path we are on, where we disrespect and punish people because we are not satisfied with policies in the military that these individuals had nothing to do with.”