Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s hold on senior Air Force officials to apply to C.Q. Brown

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Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s hold on senior Air Force officials to apply to C.Q. Brown

WASHINGTON — Sen. Tommy Tuberville s hold on military promotions will apply to Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown Jr.'s advancement to chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, hispokesman told NBC News.

Tubrville, R-Ala., has faced bipartisan opposition for stalling the promotions of more than 150 military officials in response to a recently proposed Department of Defense policy that provides travel expenses and paid time off for service members and their dependents seeking abortions.

Biden formally announced Thursday that he has selected Brown to be the next chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, replacing Army Gen. Mark Milley. If Brown is confirmed, he would be the second black man to hold the post, following the late Colin Powell, who served under former President George W. Bush.

The president called Brown a fearless leader and unyielding patriot, noting that he was confirmed as chief of staff in 2020 by a vote of 98 - 0. I ask the Senate to once again confirm General Brown with the same overwhelming bipartisan support from him for his new role, Biden said.

But Senate approval of the nominations of top level officers and generals is usually quick and smooth, and any single senator can make it less so. The Senate approves most military promotions by unanimous consent, meaning all 100 senators agree to approve them without a vote.

He said tubrville is using a procedural tactics to plug up the speedy confirmation of military officials, which will apply to Brown as well. While tuberville's holding can t really block the Senate from processing any promotion, it can greatly slow down a process that is typically done without a vote at all.

Asked earlier this month if he supported Tuberville's hold, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-K. Y. said: No, I don t support putting a hold on military nominations. One Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N. Y., said in March that one senator - just one single Senator, my colleague from Alabama, Sen. Tuberville - is blocking all general and flag officer certifications, taking our military, our national security, our safety hostage. He will keep the hold on the promotions until the policy is changed, said Tuberville. Over the past 40 years, I don t recall one military person ever complaining that we weren t performing enough abortions, he said at a Senate hearing earlier this year. I want our military to be the strongest and the deadliest it has ever been, but I also want the administration to follow the law. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.