Sen. Tuberville’s Promotions Block Deals Devastating Blow to Air Force

There are 73 Air Force officers and 25 reserve officers caught up in GOP Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s hold on military promotions, reports the Washington Examiner.

More than 300 confirmations have been delayed over Tuberville’s opposition to the Pentagon’s policy of reimbursing service members and their families who must travel to receive abortion care.

One senator can hold up the promotions in the Senate.

Tuberville recently said he wasn’t going to change his mind.

“I told Secretary [of Defense Lloyd] Austin this almost a year ago,” Tuberville told Fox News on Wednesday. “If you do this [the abortion policy], I’m going to block your generals and admirals from promotion. They didn’t believe me. They put all this into effect … I can hold just so many of them. If they bring them one at a time, they could get them all they want. The problem is they don’t want bad votes.”

The civilian heads of the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force on Monday penned an opinion column in the Washington Post accusing Tuberville of “putting our national security at risk.”

“Any claim that holding up the promotions of top officers does not directly damage the military is wrong — plain and simple,” the secretaries, all appointed by President Joe Biden, wrote.

The block prevents the promotions of Gen. Charles “C.Q.” Brown to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. David Allvin to the chief of staff of the Air Force, and Lt. Gen. James Slife’s elevation to vice chief of staff for the Air Force, according to the Examiner.