Senator Tuberville Tells Newsmax: Schumer Holds Responsibility for Military Holds

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., told Newsmax on Tuesday the ball is in the hands of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on how to deal with his unanimous consent hold on the most senior military nominations.

Tuberville, who believes the Pentagon’s policy on abortion-related travel is a violation of federal law, told “Rob Schmitt Tonight” that Schumer can simply bring each Biden administration nomination to the Senate floor for a vote.

“This could be handled very easily,” Tuberville said. “Chuck Schumer, just bring them to the floor. Let’s confirm them. Let’s work a little bit around here. Don’t worry about anything other than work and get the job done for the American people. … They can do them one at a time.”

Earlier Tuesday during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Tuberville said he would vote to confirm Gen. David Allvin to be the Air Force Chief of Staff if Schumer brings his nomination to the Senate floor for vote. On Monday, Tuberville called on Schumer to hold a floor vote to confirm Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown as chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said in a Sept. 5 interview with CNN that Tuberville’s blanket hold was aiding Communist and autocratic regimes and hurting U.S. military readiness.

The Pentagon’s policy provides pay for travel and leave for service members and their dependents seeking elective abortions. Tuberville said any changes to the use of federal funds for abortions – which are restricted by law to rape, incest, and to save the life of the mother – needs to be passed by Congress and not by decree.

“If you want to change it, send it to the Congress and let us vote on it,” Tuberville said. “That’s how we do things around here. We’re not a Communist country, as the secretary of the Navy said. If you’re going to be a Communist country, what you do is you send laws over from a dictator in the White House. That’s exactly what they did.

“I’m not going to allow that to happen, so I put holds on their nominees. It started out at one and now is up to 311. I don’t think they took me from my word, but now I’m sure they’re starting to panic a little bit. They don’t want to do it my way. They want to do it their way, and we’re just going to have a standoff until they change their mind because I’m not changing my mind.”

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