Sen. Tuberville holding up another senior military nominee for a new reason

Ray Bogan: Senator Tommy Tuberville is holding up the promotion of a top military general. That may sound familiar, but unlike his blanket hold on all senior military officials in 2023, this is a single officer for a specific reason. 

Lieutenant General Ronald Clark is a senior aide to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and is up for a promotion to be the head of Army Forces in the Pacific. Tuberville, however, will not allow his promotion to go through until the Inspector General releases a report on Secretary Austin’s January hospitalization. Only Austin’s inner circle knew he was sick and in the hospital. The President was not initially informed and Tuberville says Clark should have called the President to let him know. 

Tuberville told Punchbowl News – “I’m waiting for the [inspector general] review [about] him screwing up and not telling the president of the United States that his boss and head of the Department of Defense was in the hospital.” 

“You don’t need to get a promotion when everybody’s wondering, ‘What the heck’s going on here?’”

There is one way to get around Tuberville’s hold – a full vote on the Senate floor. But that’s a time consuming process, and with only 10 working days left until the Senate leaves for the entire month of October, Majority Leader Schumer wants to instead approve judicial nominations and a government spending deal. 

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed told Punchbowl that he’d be willing to push for a floor vote. 

“We’ve got to get the confirmation done. Hopefully the information [Tuberville] wants will be provided,” Reed said. 

In 2023, Tuberville put a ten month hold on all military promotions to protest a Biden Administration policy that provides paid time off and travel expense reimbursement for military members who get an abortion. After receiving heavy criticism from members of his own party, he relented and got nothing in return.