Republican Tommy Tuberville's military holds in protest of abortion policy come to an end

Rachel Looker, USA TODAY
Updated ·3 min read

WASHINGTON − Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville's blockade on military promotions that stretched over 10 months has come to an end.

The Alabama lawmaker, who has been protesting a Pentagon policy on abortion since February, told reporters Tuesday that he would be lifting holds on military promotions for nominees three stars and below. The blockade has prevented more than 400 military jobs from being filled.

"It's been a long fight. We fought hard. We did the right thing for the unborn and for our military," he said Tuesday.

Depending on the case, the Pentagon can give service members time off and will pay for travel to have an abortion. The policy was put into effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year.

Tuberville's release on the holds still requires four-star nominees – which now number 11 – to be voted on individually on the Senate floor.

"We didn't get as much out of it as we wanted," he said of his blockade.

The retired college football coach said he has no regrets blocking the nominations in protest of the Pentagon's policy.

"The only opportunity you got to get people on the left up here to listen to you in the minority is to put a hold on something, and that's what we did," he said. "I think we opened our eyes a little bit. We didn't get the win that we wanted. We've still got a bad policy."

Tuberville said he is now looking to Republicans in the House to rescind the Pentagon abortion policy in the annual defense spending bill.

"We're pleased obviously that that situation seems to have been ameliorated," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said after Tuberville's announcement.

Just hours after Tuberville's announcement, the Senate voted to confirm more than 400 military promotions, leaving the 11 four-star nominees' confirmations pending.

President Joe Biden said in a statement late Tuesday that the confirmations were long overdue.

"In the end, this was all pointless," he said in a statement. "Senator Tuberville, and the Republicans who stood with him, needlessly hurt hundreds of servicemembers and military families and threatened our national security − all to push a partisan agenda. I hope no one forgets what he did."

Republicans urged Tuberville to end blockade

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., speaking with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., right, during a Joint Conference Committee meeting of conferees on H.R.2670, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2024 for military activities of the Department of Defense.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., speaking with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., right, during a Joint Conference Committee meeting of conferees on H.R.2670, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2024 for military activities of the Department of Defense.

Tuberville's decision to release the holds comes after Republican colleagues have pushed the Alabama lawmaker to cave on the protest.

The Senate Rules Committee voted along party lines in November to change a rule that Tuberville has used to block the nominations and promotions. But the rule change would need 60 votes on the Senate floor to take effect.

Senate leaders from both sides have condemned Tuberville for blocking the nominations. McConnell had called Tuberville's actions "dangerous."

The situation escalated in November when a group of senators took to the Senate floor urging Tuberville to lift the hold. The lawmakers, over the course of five hours, highlighted the names, biographies and pictures of military nominees and called for individual votes on each.

U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., speaks to members of the press at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 15, 2023 in Washington, D.C.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., speaks to members of the press at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 15, 2023 in Washington, D.C.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville caves on military holds over abortion policy

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Short drives in go-ahead run as Braves top Cubs 2-0 despite another strong start from Imanaga

    Zack Short made the most of his first start with Atlanta by breaking a scoreless tie with a run-scoring double in the sixth and the Braves spoiled another strong start by Chicago rookie Shota Imanaga to beat the Cubs 2-0 on Monday night. Short, who filled in at third base while Austin Riley was held out with tightness in his left side, lined a pitch from right-hander Hayden Wesneski (2-2) into the right field corner to drive in Travis d'Arnaud, who doubled with two outs. Ronald Acuña Jr. followed with a single to left field to drive in Short for a 2-0 lead.

  • Hurricanes score 4 in third period, rally to beat Rangers 4-1 to stay alive

    NEW YORK (AP) — Jordan Staal and Evgeny Kuznetsov scored 3:06 apart in the third period, and the Carolina Hurricanes got four goals in the final period for a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the second-round NHL playoff series on Monday night, staving off elimination for the second straight game. Jordan Martinook and Martin Necas also scored in the Hurricanes' big third period, and Frederik Andersen — starting for the fourth time in five games in this series and ninth time in 10 ga

  • Jayson Tatum is a superstar and a mere mortal. Why aren't we OK with that?

    Vulnerability is considered a weakness in sports until it isn't, and the Boston Celtics forward is floating in between.

  • White House sees no genocide in Gaza

    STORY: ::The Biden administration says it does not view the killings of Palestinians in Gaza as 'genocide'::May 13, 2024:: Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor / White House"We believe Israel can and must do more to ensure the protection and well-being of innocent civilians. We do not believe what is happening in Gaza is a genocide. We have been firmly on record rejecting that proposition.""We have paused the shipment of £2,000 bombs because we do not believe they should be dropped in densely populated cities. We are talking to the Israeli government about this. We still believe it would be a mistake to launch a major military operation into the heart of Rafah. That would put huge numbers of civilians at risk without a clear strategic gain. The president was clear that he would not supply certain offensive weapons for such an operation were it to occur."Sullivan, speaking to reporters at the White House, said the United States wants to see Hamas defeated, that Palestinians caught in the middle of the war were in "hell," and that a major military operation by Israel in Rafah would be a mistake.Biden, who is running for reelection this year, has faced heavy criticism from his own supporters domestically for his support of Israel; some of those critics have accused Israel of committing genocide. More than 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza have died, according to Gaza health officials.

  • QMJHL roundup: Voltigeurs dump Drakkar 6-2, lead final series 3-0

    DRUMMONDVILLE, Que. — Ethan Gauthier scored twice, Luke Woodworth added three assists and the Drummondville Voltigeurs defeated the visiting Baie-Comeau Drakkar 6-2 on Monday to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Championship Final. Vsevolod Komarov, Sam Oliver, Lukas Landry and Justin Cote also scored for the Voltigeurs, who won the first two games of the best-of-seven series on the road by 5-0 and 1-0 scores. Mikael Huchette also chipped in with two assists

  • Hurricanes score 4 in third period, rally to beat Rangers 4-1 in Game 5 to avoid elimination

    NEW YORK (AP) — Jordan Staal and Yevgeny Kuznetsov scored 3:06 apart in the third period, and the Carolina Hurricanes got four goals in the third for a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the second-round playoff series on Monday night, staving off elimination for the second straight game. Jordan Martinook and Martin Necas also scored in the Hurricanes' big third period, and Frederik Andersen — starting for the fourth time in five games in this series and ninth time in 10 games in the

  • Dad of 10-Year-Old Boy Who Was Swept Into Storm Drain Says to ‘Keep the Prayers Coming’

    Jimmy Sullivan, father to Asher Sullivan, shares that his son "showed the ever slightest movement," and they are now " continuing the waiting game"

  • Top Plays from Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics

    Top Plays from Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics,05/13/2024

  • Bakersfield Police looking to increase public safety through Meridian Vehicle Barriers

    Latest Kern County, California and US and world news from 23ABC in Bakersfield, Calif.

  • Mother and son jailed after XL bully attack on eight-year-old boy

    The child had been at the flats to play with a friend when the attack happened.

  • Florida man sentenced to 3 years in prison for firebombing California Planned Parenthood clinic

    A 21-year-old Florida man was sentenced Monday to three and a half years in prison for firebombing a Southern California Planned Parenthood clinic in 2022, federal prosecutors said. Xavier Batten pleaded guilty in January to one felony count of possessing an unregistered destructive device and one misdemeanor count of intentionally damaging a reproductive health services facility. U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney also sentenced Batten, of Brooksville, Florida, to three years of probation and ordered him to pay $1,000 in restitution, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.

  • Tatum's 33 points help Celtics beat Cavaliers 109-102 to take 3-1 lead in semis

    CLEVELAND (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 33 points with LeBron James watching from a courtside seat and the Boston Celtics beat the severely short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 109-102 in Game 4 on Monday night to take a commanding 3-1 lead in their East semifinal series. Jaylen Brown added 27 for the Celtics, who can close out Cleveland with a win in Game 5 on Wednesday night at home. Game 6, if necessary, would be back at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Friday. The Cavs got pushed to the brink of elimi

  • 'A steadfast champion of Atlantic Canada': Oil executive Arthur Irving dies at age 93

    SAINT JOHN, N.B. — Arthur L. Irving, the second-born son of New Brunswick industrialist K.C. Irving, has died at the age of 93 after a life spent growing the oil business his father founded. Irving Oil announced his death in a statement, saying he died Monday surrounded by his wife, Sandra, and daughter, Sarah. Forbes Magazine listed Arthur Irving as being among the top 10 richest Canadians in 2023. At the time of his death, he had an estimated net worth of US$6.4 billion, which includes a Saint

  • Google I/O: Tech conference expected to be dominated by AI

    Google’s annual developer conference begins on Tuesday.

  • LeBron James greeted with rousing ovation from Cavaliers fans while sitting courtside for Celtics game

    LeBron James' offseason of intrigue continued Monday with a visit to Cleveland.

  • Norman Lear Art Collection Auction: David Hockney Painting Bought in 1978 for $64,000 Expected to Fetch $25-$35 Million

    Norman Lear not only knew about television, but the late TV icon was also an influential art collector along with his wife of 37 years, Lyn Davis Lear. And now, several pieces from the Lears’ art collection will hit the Christie’s auction block, including David Hockney’s 1967 “A Lawn Being Sprinkled.” When the “All in …

  • Money being spent on Arizona's race for U.S. Senate

    Ruben Gallego placed a reservation on Monday for $19 million in television advertisements for the general election this fall, according to his campaign — the largest any Senate candidate in the country has made so far. Kari Lake also reportedly placed a $10 million dollar ad buy. How does this translate to who wins in November? Does the candidate that spends the most typically win the election?

  • UPDATE 1-Walmart to lay off hundreds of corporate staff and relocate others, WSJ reports

    Walmart is cutting hundreds of corporate jobs and asking most remote workers to move to offices, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. Meanwhile, workers at the U.S. retail giant's smaller offices in Dallas, Atlanta and Toronto are being asked to move to other central hubs such as Walmart's corporate headquarters in Bentonville as well as Hoboken or Southern California, the report added. Walmart will still let staff work remotely part time, as long as they are in offices a majority of the time, the report said.

  • Varsho's glove, bat lift Blue Jays to 3-2 win over Orioles in 10 innings

    BALTIMORE (AP) — Daulton Varsho robbed a homer with his glove, hit one with his bat and then drove in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning with a ground ball to lift the Toronto Blue Jays to a 3-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night. The Blue Jays overcame two home runs by Adley Rutschman, tying the game on Varsho's solo shot in the eighth and then prevailing in extra innings. Ernie Clement led off the 10th with a bunt single off Jacob Webb (0-2) that moved the automatic runner to thir

  • WABC Radio CEO Defends Decision To Drop Rudy Giuliani From Airwaves

    The CEO of WABC in New York said that Rudy Giuliani was removed from the station after being repeatedly warned about not discussing unfounded claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. In a lengthy statement on what happened, John Catsimatidis, the owner of the station and a Republican donor, said, “Rudy has publicly accused …