Republicans push Schumer to vote on top generals amid Tuberville hold

Senate Republicans are pressuring Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to vote on some of President Biden's top military nominations amid Sen. Tommy Tuberville's (R-Al.) hold, which is blocking Senate leadership from moving nominations and promotions in expedited package votes.

GOP senators pushed for targeted voting during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday to appoint Gen. David Allvin as the Air Force’s chief of staff, and Tuberville made the plea himself on the Senate floor this week.

In an effort to protest the Pentagon’s new abortion policy, Tuberville has maintained a six-month blockade denying military leaders from attaining new positions. The Pentagon’s policy grants leave and covers travel for service members to get an abortion for those who can’t get one in the state where they are put on duty.  

Tuberville is not budging despite rising GOP pressure to relent, and tried to turn the tables on Democrats in a floor speech Monday.

“There is nothing wrong with the floor vote on these nominations,” Tuberville argued, specifically naming Gen. Charles Q. Brown, who has been nominated to replace Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley when he leaves his post on Oct. 1.

"If we do not vote on Gen. Brown's nomination, then that is entirely entirely the fault of the Democratic majority that runs this floor," Tuberville said.

“Democrats can either stop complaining about having acting officials or they can confirm these nominees. You can't have it both ways,” he added.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ak.) made the same argument to Allvin during Tuesday's hearing on his nomination.

"We can also easily confirm you if Chuck Schumer would get off the dime and show that he actually cares about supporting our men and women in uniform,” Cotton said. “Of course, we voted before on general officer nominations. We voted just a few years ago for Mark Milley to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs.” 

The Senate voted 89-1 to approve Milley's appointment in July 2019. Cotton suggested Schumer and Biden may not have the votes to approve his replacement if he is put forward for a standalone vote. Brown, who is Black, has been an outspoken advocate of diversity efforts within the military, drawing the ire of some Republicans who oppose the programs.

“Maybe my Democratic colleagues go talk to Chuck Schumer, as they're always encouraging us to go talk to Tommy Tuberville,” Cotton said.  

According to the Congressional Research Service, it would take about 700 hours of floor time to individually vote on the nearly 300 nominations and promotions that Tuberville is currently holding up.

But Cotton and other Republicans argue Schumer can use some floor time to advance votes on key nominees like the Joint Chiefs chairman and leaders of military branches.

“My Democratic colleagues just a few years back required us to vote on the shift of H.R. McMaster, who was only a three-star general, not a four-star general,” Cotton said. “So I don’t think it would be too much to ask for the Senate spend a little bit of time confirming four-star general officers positions like chief of staff of the Air Force, commandant of the Marine Corps or chief of naval operations.” 

Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) echoed similar rhetoric, and added that the Pentagon could end Tuberville's blockade by ending its abortion policy.

"Let's just remember that leader Schumer can bring all these wonderful nominees … to the floor for a vote. And rather than being here having this discussion, it's an important discussion," he said. "We could be here voting and moving these nominees through, and also [Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin] could change this with the stroke of a pen by this afternoon."

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) called Cotton’s remarks “embarrassing" and "laughable” during the committee hearing.  

“That's laughable,” Kaine said. “Senator Schumer has not placed a blanket hold on any military nominee. During the entire 10 years I've been in the Senate. I don't think he's placed blanket holds on any nominees. I don't see that happening on this side of the aisle, and the attempt to blame the vacancies in these confirmed positions on Senator Schumer is embarrassing. It's laughable."

Kaine said Democrats don’t mind voting for the promotions, but that process would only help the upper rank of officers and not benefit the rest. 

“That's true,” Kaine said. “We don't mind voting on people. But the implication is, why not vote on the top brass and just punish all the people below them? That seems to be the offer that's being made by the GOP. Vote on the top brass and punish everybody else.” 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) ripped Tuberville during the hearing, saying that his hold on military promotions was jeopardizing U.S. national security. 

“When I met with NATO leaders, I heard concerns that leaving so many senior positions unfilled is leading our allies to question our commitment to NATO,” Warren said. “I'll be blunt. The actions of the senator from Alabama have become a national security nightmare.”

Warren asked Allvin how the hold was impacting the military’s ability to recruit and retain members, particularly in the cybersecurity field. The general said he worried about the "signal" it sends to military members considering other options.

"We want to maintain and retain the strongest and the best in our Air Force. And if those best have other options and their families have other options and they see this as a potential distraction, then we run a greater risk than if these weren't in place of losing those," he said.