Tommy Tuberville: 'Admirals and generals' want me to keep blockading military promotions

Sen. Tommy Tuberville has no plans to let off his blockade of Senate approvals of military promotions following the Thanksgiving holidays, as his own party grows increasingly angry with him. it’s good to hear from people that are actually doing what they’re doing.” Tuberville has said his blockade, which has resulted in hundreds of key military posts going unfilled or filled on an acting basis, is in protest of a Pentagon policy that allows servicemembers who need abortions to take paid leave from states where the procedure is illegal, to travel to states where it is legal — although the policy doesn't actually pay for abortions unless they are medically necessary. Abandoning this policy would effectively make servicemembers' abortion rights dependent on where their commanding officer stations them, affecting up to 80,000 troops according to a 2022 study, and according to some experts, could make it harder to enlist or retain women in the military altogether. Even a number of anti-abortion Republican senators, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, are uncomfortable with the effect Tuberville's holds are having on military readiness at a moment when conflicts are raging across Ukraine and Israel, and Senate Democrats are pushing for a temporary Senate rule change that would bypass Tuberville and put all the unfilled military appointments to a vote at the same time.