Rep. Michael McCaul blasts Tommy Tuberville’s military blockade

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul has criticized Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s months-long blockade of more than 300 military promotions and nominations, warning that the holdup is “paralyzing” the Pentagon’s military readiness.

“The idea that one man in the Senate can hold this up for months — I understand maybe promotions, but nominations — is paralyzing the Department of Defense,” McCaul (R-Texas) vented to CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. 

“I think that is a national security problem and a national security issue.”

Since February, Tuberville (R-Ala.) has repeatedly objected to holding quick Senate confirmation votes for all Pentagon appointees, including nominees for the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and leaders of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps.

The former college football coach has instituted the holds to protest the Pentagon’s policy of footing the bill for service members who travel out of state to receive any kind of reproductive care, such as abortion or in-vitro fertilization.

That policy was instituted following the overturn of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court last year.

House Republicans have attempted to scrap the Pentagon policy, but have so far been unsuccessful. McCaul noted that the issue is being deliberated during negotiations over the annual defense spending bill, which must pass by Sept. 30.

“To hold up the top brass from being promoted — and lower brass — I think is paralyzing our Department of Defense,” he added.

A spokesman for Tuberville ripped McCaul’s characterization of the situation as “inaccurate.”

“No one can stop Chuck Schumer from holding votes on these nominations. He just doesn’t want to,” Steven Stafford said in a statement.

“It’s also inaccurate because acting officials are in all of these roles. In some cases these acting officials are the nominees for permanent roles. No jobs are open or going undone right now.”

While the Senate could confirm each of the nominees through regular order, critics of Tuberville’s hold say it would be unnecessarily time-consuming to hold roll call votes on nominations that face no serious opposition.

McCaul is not the only Republican to take issue with Tuberville’s action, as 2024 presidential hopeful Nikki Haley and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have also criticized the Alabama senator.

Others, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have expressed support for Tuberville’s defiance.

The White House and top military brass have decried the blockade, but Schumer shows no sign of relenting.