Schumer Pushes for Expedited Military Promotions

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wasted little time in seeking to advance military nominations after Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., announced that he was lifting his hold on most promotions.

Schumer said he planned to move the promotions as soon as possible, perhaps as soon as Tuesday afternoon, the same day Tuberville said he no longer will block military promotions three-stars and below.

“One thing I would say, Senator Tuberville, I hope no one does this again,” Schumer told reporters during a news conference. “I hope they learned the lesson of Senator Tuberville, and that is he held out for many, many months, hurt our national security, caused discombobulation to so many military families who have been so dedicated to our country, and didn’t get anything that he wanted.

“It’s a risky strategy that will not succeed. I hope it doesn’t happen again.”

Since February, Tuberville had refused to allow the Senate confirmations of hundreds of U.S. military service members to protest the Defense Department’s abortion policy.

Schumer threatened to force a vote on a resolution that would allow military nominations to be confirmed en masse, but it wasn’t clear if he had the votes to pass it, NBC News reported.