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Sen. Tommy Tuberville tends to make news for saying ridiculous things. As regular readers might recall, it was shortly after the Alabama Republican was elected in 2020 when the former college football coach flubbed the basics of World War II. He soon after struggled with how recent presidential elections have been resolved.
A few months later, Tuberville misstated the three branches of the United States government. Last year, the Alabaman made the case that Russia invaded Ukraine in order to acquire “more farmland,” which really didn’t make any sense, before making ugly comments about race, crime, and reparations.
But sometimes, the far-right senator generates headlines, not because of his unfortunate rhetoric, but because of his unfortunate policy decisions. USA Today reported:
Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama blocked 184 military promotions Tuesday in the latest chapter of his protest against the Pentagon’s new abortion policy. The drama unfolded in the Senate as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, moved a request to allow the promotions and Tuberville blocked the action.
In case this isn’t obvious, for generations, the Senate has confirmed promotions for U.S. military officers as a matter of course. Congress can be slow and frustrating, but this process has always been simple, quick, and efficient — the nominees are usually packaged together for one uncontroversial vote — not only to benefit those in uniform, but because senators don’t want to be seen as anti-military.
Tuberville, whose only military experience was coaching the losing team in the 2014 Military Bowl, doesn’t seem to care.
By all appearances, the Alabama Republican doesn’t have any concerns about the 184 military officers, their records, or their qualifications. Rather, as MSNBC’s Alex Wagner explained last night, Tuberville objects to a Pentagon policy that provides troops and their family members paid leave and stipends to travel for abortions or for fertility treatments.
The senator has told the Department of Defense that he’ll impose a blockade against military promotions unless the policy ends.
For months, senators have tried to convince Tuberville to be more responsible. Warren tried again yesterday, hoping that the Alabaman would be satisfied that he’d made his point. It didn’t matter: The blockade continued.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has made clear that many of these promotions are directly relevant to military readiness, including positions related to military intelligence and international alliances. A New York Times report noted that even some GOP officials are “wringing their hands over the potential national security repercussions” of Tuberville’s tantrum, while senior DOD leaders have said the Republican’s tactics are making life harder for many military families.
But the Alabaman, who had no background in public service before launching a successful Senate campaign three years ago, hasn’t budged.
As outlandish as these tactics are, I’m also struck by the underlying mentality. Tuberville — a member of the Senate minority — has a problem with the Pentagon’s policy on reproductive rights. The Republican knows that most of his colleagues, like most of the country, disagrees with him.
But since he can’t win a debate or pass a bill, the senator is abusing his position in the hopes of forcing the Defense Department to bend to his will, apparently indifferent to the consequences.
The next time the Republican Party presents itself as a champion of the military and its interests, keep Tuberville’s indefensible antics in mind.