Senate Confirms First Military Officer In Months: Tuberville Block Continues

The U.S. Senate confirmed three military officials yesterday, including the incoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles Q. Brown, in the first confirmation of military appointees in seven months.

The Senate has been unable to conduct mass confirmation votes for military promotions since February when Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ark.) announced that he would block any such vote as long as the Pentagon continued to use taxpayer dollars to fund abortions for female service members — an action Tuberville has repeatedly called "illegal."

Tuberville has come under fire for his block of confirmations, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and the Department of Defense have accused him of compromising the United States' "military readiness."

The Arkansas Senator says that he will continue to block mass confirmation votes as long as the Pentagon stands by its abortion policy but added that the Senate is welcome to continue to confirm appointees individually.