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It’s difficult to say how much of the public is aware of Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s blockade on military nominees, but as Politico reported, a group of veterans have come up with a new way to help bring attention to the issue.
A group of Democrats are lining up behind the newest push to pressure Sen. Tommy Tuberville to relent on his hold of hundreds of senior military promotions. VoteVets PAC, a Democratic veterans group, organized a visual display on the lawn outside the Senate showing the pictures of nominees for the promotions delayed by Tuberville’s (R-Ala.) hold.
There’s no reason to believe the Alabaman will care about the display or the message behind it, but the VoteVets visual presentation helps drive home the group’s message nicely.
The silent protest comes against the backdrop of several new developments related to the controversy surrounding Tuberville’s tactics. Politico reported late last week, for example, that the policy the GOP senator is desperate to destroy — travel reimbursements for U.S. troops seeking reproductive care in other states — is hardly being used by servicemembers.
It reinforces concerns that Tuberville is undermining his own country’s military to solve a problem that doesn’t exist in any meaningful way.
What’s more, while the coach-turned-politician has said he’s felt no real pressure from his GOP colleagues, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski publicly denounced Tuberville’s radical tactics late last week. “Holding military nominations hostage is not a winning tactic for anyone, especially in light of retention challenges and the very real threats we face in the Pacific and elsewhere,” the Alaskan wrote online. “These holds are starting to have cascading impacts that are degrading our national security.”
Murkowski added that Tuberville should immediately withdraw his holds “and find another way to express his concerns.”
Even some House Republicans — who also happen to be military veterans — are voicing concerns and urging the right-wing senator to wrap up his tantrum.
As for Tuberville himself, there’s no indication that he’ll abandon his unprecedented blockade anytime soon, but the Alabaman is apparently poised to take the unusual step of trying to force a vote on a new leader for the Marine Corps — effectively setting up an exception to his own policy. Politico explained in a separate report:
The Alabama senator gathered enough signatures from fellow Republicans Tuesday to force a vote on Gen. Eric Smith’s promotion to lead the Marine Corps, which has been without a Senate confirmed leader since July. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) had mulled such a move this summer, but Minority Leader Mitch McConnell talked him out of it, arguing the precedent of the minority party forcing such a vote could backfire when Republicans are in the majority. But Tuberville is unbowed and is set to file his own cloture petition, which would force a vote on Smith’s confirmation vote.
The Senate could take a similar approach to confirming all of the nominees Tuberville is blocking, but that would take over 700 hours of floor time, which Senate leaders are not prepared to give the Alabama Republican.