Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) says he is optimistic that the Senate will soon be able to move on from the hold that Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) has maintained on confirmations of military promotions and nominations.
For months, Mr. Tuberville has blocked the Senate from using unanimous consent motions to rapidly confirm military promotions. Mr. Tuberville initiated this delaying tactic to protest a Department of Defense (DOD) policy to fund abortion-related travel and allocate leave time for service members.
Mr. Tuberville contends that DOD policy runs afoul of a federal law codified under the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funds from paying for abortions in most cases.
The Alabama Republican’s protest tactic does not prevent the Senate from confirming military promotions and nominations but does require the Senate to go through a slower process under cloture. This has led to a backlog of around 400 nominees.
Mr. Tuberville has repeatedly insisted that he will keep up the tactic until the DOD either retracts its policy or Congress changes federal law to expressly permit the…
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