“I cannot help but think [that the vacancies have] added a level of complexity and danger to an already bad situation,” one DOD official said.

Pentagon officials have been frustrated for months over an Alabama senator’s blockade of more than 300 senior military nominations. But after the Marine Corps chief was hospitalized over the weekend, that frustration is turning into rage.

Gen. Eric Smith had been filling both the No. 1 and No. 2 Marine Corps posts from July until he was finally confirmed as commandant in September. He, along with more than 300 other senior officers, was swept up in the promotions blockade put in place by GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville in protest of the Pentagon’s abortion travel policy.

In an interview Wednesday, Tuberville brushed off the comments from the DOD officials.

“They’re looking for someone to blame it on, other than themselves,” he said. “We could have all these people confirmed if they’d have just gone by the Constitution.

“I don’t listen to these people,” he added. “They’re just looking for any possible way to get themselves out of a jam.”

  • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
    23·
    1 year ago

    I’m a troll? Fuck off.

    https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2023/11/01/politics/schumer-tuberville-military-nominations/index.html

    The Senate Democrats have been allowing the backlog to grow for months, for the stated reason of adding political pressure on Tuberville.

    Here’s an article from September where they admit they can bypass Tuberville.

    https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2023/09/21/dems-weigh-batch-votes-to-bypass-tuberville-for-remaining-nominees/

    Here’s an article from July where they admit they don’t want to bypass Tuberville because it wouldn’t be expedient.

    https://apnews.com/article/tuberville-military-holds-senate-officers-45c4230a8aee5222bf32b43823e29acc

    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that holding up the promotion of military leaders, most of whom have dedicated their lives to protecting the country, “is one of the most abominable and outrageous things I have ever seen in this chamber, witnessed by the fact that no one has ever had the temerity, the gall to do this before.”

    And yet he’s done fuck all about it, because it would take “months” to do with floor votes. He said that 4 months ago.

    Tuberville is the villain here, there’s no doubt. He’s a loathesome piece of shit that demeans the office he holds.

    Chuck Schumer is the Senate Majority Leader. Where is the leadership? Where is the majority? They don’t need the House at all, they can confirm Biden’s nominees and promotions all say long. It’s not like they’ve been busy, what with the catastrophe that is the House of Representatives. This is the one thing they could be doing, and they haven’t because not doing it makes Republicans look worse than they do. It’s craven politics, and it’s a waste of my vote. They’re going to lose the Senate in the next election, and it won’t matter that Biden keeps the White House. He’ll be the first president in history to spend 8 years as a lame duck.

    Fucking neoliberal bullshit.

    • stolid_agnostic@lemmy.ml
      23·
      1 year ago

      LOL I didn’t and won’t read your reply (not worth the time). It’s pretty clear that I hit close to home.