It took far too long, but Sen. Tommy Tuberville finally tried to resolve his latest problem on race, publicly conceding on Tuesday that white nationalists are, in fact, racist. The far-right Alabama Republican, whose history on the issue did not give him the benefit of the doubt, didn’t explain why he’d disputed white nationalists’ racism the night before.
Nevertheless, his overdue acknowledgment of reality shifted attention back to the GOP senator’s other ongoing controversy: Tuberville’s monthslong blockade against U.S. military promotions, as part of a ridiculous anti-abortion tantrum.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer argued anew on Tuesday that to end this fiasco, Senate Republicans are going to have to intervene and lean on the Alabaman to start being more responsible. At least so far, however, Tuberville is under the impression that his GOP colleagues aren’t pressuring him at all.
Punchbowl News reported this week, for example, “Tuberville insists he’s not under any pressure from GOP colleagues to cave,” and when NBC News asked the senator on Tuesday whether he’s faced any pressure from fellow Republicans to drop his hold on military promotions, he replied, “No. Zero.”
There’s been some reporting over the last month or so suggesting GOP senators have tried working behind the scenes to get Tuberville to back off. Evidently, those efforts were a bit too subtle — because he didn’t notice their existence.
The result is an important partisan dynamic: For months, this controversy has been seen largely as an avoidable mess created by one misguided senator. But if Tuberville’s Republican colleagues are letting him get away with undermining his own country’s military, then it will be that much more difficult for them to avoid the blame.
In the meantime, while GOP senators express apparent indifference to Tuberville’s radical tactics, military leaders themselves are ringing alarms. NBC News reported late Tuesday that President Joe Biden’s nominee for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff testified that the Alabama Republican’s blockade could inflict widespread damage on troops and their families, and might even prompt some to leave the armed forces:
“We will lose talent” because of the problems caused by the block on promotions, Air Force Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown Jr., the president’s pick to serve as the country’s top military officer, told the Senate Armed Services Committee. Brown said the holds on nominations could affect readiness, with less experienced deputies having to take up leadership positions temporarily, and discourage junior officers from staying in the military while creating financial and logistical burdens for troops’ families.
The Air Force general isn’t the only one with concerns. Lt. Gen. Andrew Rohling, the deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Europe-Africa, met with a bipartisan group of senators this week, and urged them to break Tuberville’s blockade. Soon after, Rohling told Punchbowl News that Tuberville’s tactics are “reprehensible, irresponsible and dangerous.”
Similarly, on Commandant Gen. David Berger’s last day leading the Marine Corps, he also urged senators to "do their job" and confirm the qualified military officials awaiting confirmation.
All of this, of course, comes on the heels of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also making clear that many of the promotions Tuberville is blocking are directly relevant to military readiness, including positions related to military intelligence and international alliances.
Or put another way, Senate Republicans might not care about Tuberville’s outlandish tactics, but leaders in the U.S. armed forces do not share their indifference.