WASHINGTON (CN) — Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville announced Tuesday that he would partially walk back a monthslong protest against a Defense Department abortion policy, paving the way for the Senate to approve scores of delayed military appointments.
The Republican senator, elected in 2020, has drawn ire from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for his efforts to block the promotions of hundreds of Pentagon officials — a move that critics say hobble military readiness.
Tuberville has long couched his obstruction in opposition to a Defense Department policy which compensates service members who must travel to receive abortion care. The lawmaker has said that he would lift his blockade only if the Pentagon rescinds its program.
Despite that, it appeared Tuesday as though the Alabama Republican had reached an impasse, as he told reporters on Capitol Hill that he would no longer fight promotions for military officials below the rank of four star general.
Tuberville made his announcement immediately following a midday luncheon with GOP colleagues. The lawmaker all but admitted defeat on his blockade, telling reporters that he “didn’t get the win that we wanted” and that the Pentagon’s abortion policy would remain in place.
Either way, Tuberville’s move will open up promotions for more than 400 military officials currently stuck in a holding pattern on the Senate floor.
Some Senate Democrats, who have for months criticized their colleague for holding up promotions, celebrated the end of the Tuberville blockade Tuesday, but stopped short of giving him credit for finally backing down.
“Let’s be clear,” wrote Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth in a post on X, formerly Twitter, “lifting this hold on many military promotions should never have taken this long — and cannot erase the nine months of damage done to our national security, readiness and military families.”
Washington Senator Patty Murray called Tuberville’s hold “reckless” and said that the lawmaker “deserves no credit for today's announcement and should be condemned for using our military as a political pawn.”
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