Sen. Tommy Tuberville said President Joe Biden would rather “burn the Senate down” before negotiating to lift Tuberville’s hold on Senate approval for military promotions en masse.
The Alabama Republican has held up approval of mass military promotions since February of a Department of Defense (DoD) policy that reimburses military members who travel out of state for abortions. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin put the policy in place after the Supreme Court repealed Roe v. Wade, leaving the issue of abortion legality and limits up to state governments.
Tuberville’s hold does not block military promotions entirely. The Senate may still consider promotions one at a time, and Democrats have brought some cases up for a vote for certain top-level positions. Tuberville’s hold prevents voting on multiple cases at once as a time-saving move, however.
“It’s typical of this place. This administration would rather burn the Senate down and that’s what would happen. … If you change the rules of the Senate then it lasts forever,” Tuberville said on CNN on Sunday. “So they would rather burn down the Senate than negotiate.”
Tuberville has refused to budge on his hold amid the war in Ukraine and after a conflict erupted between Israel and Hamas after the Palestinian terror group killed over 1,400 Israelis, most of them civilians, in an October 7 terror attack.
The Alabama senator has demanded Austin reverse the DoD policy on abortion travel saying it politicizes the military and effectively funds abortions. He has denied Democrat charges that the hold is effecting military readiness.
“If I thought this was happening, I wouldn’t be doing this. And I’ve told you that all along. And the people that I trust tell me that it’s not,” he said.
Democrats have floated changing Senate rules to get around Tuberville’s blockade. For the rule-change to work, nine Republicans would have to vote with every Democrat to approve it.
“If they go around and, without negotiating, change the rules of the Senate it just goes to show you they want it their way or the highway,” Tuberville told CNN.
Tuberville’s stand on the DoD policy has split some in the GOP. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who is running for the GOP nomination for president, has called Tuberville’s hold on military promotions a “mistake.”
Republican Sen. Mike Lee has praised Tuberville’s blockade, however.
“We need more like @SenTuberville,” Lee posted in September. “And we need more senators defending him — especially those claiming to care about life and the rule of law. Republican senators shouldn’t be siding with Biden here; nor should they silently acquiesce to his false and inflammatory talking points.”