The Facts
US Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) is continuing his months-long blockade of military nominations in protest of the Biden administration's abortion policy. In response to Democrats' call to end the blockade due to Hamas' attack on Israel, a Tuberville spokesperson said they must move top nominees individually until the Pentagon revokes its policy of covering travel costs for troops seeking an abortion that crosses state lines.
Military promotions are usually processed en masse, but senators have the power to require individual roll-call votes for each one, which has led to over 300 nominees awaiting confirmation. Among them are Pres. Biden's nominee to be the Navy’s top officer, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, and Gen. David Allvin, nominated to lead the Air Force, with both currently serving the job on an acting basis.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
First and foremost, Tuberville's blockade is in protest of a healthcare policy that is widely supported within the military. To risk the combat readiness of the US military when one of its closest allies is under attack is both hyper-political and dangerous. There's no time to waste, but Senator Tuberville would rather focus on his culture war issue of abortion than fill the most important armed forces positions in the country.
Republican narrative
If the Democrats truly cared about the Pentagon filling its positions, they wouldn't be focused on hyper-permissive abortion policies. Sadly, the Biden White House is so obsessed with the issue that it's willing to sacrifice the nation's combat readiness over something that has nothing to do with national defense. Tuberville's approach is about decoupling national security from woke politics.
