WASHINGTON — In the end, more than 400 senior military officers were confirmed without the Senate making any changes demanded by Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.
Senators on Tuesday confirmed the final 11 senior military nominees that had been stalled for months by Tuberville's blockade over his objections to the Defense Department's military reproductive care travel policies.
The Senate also advanced legislation to give back pay and retroactive benefits to those officers whose nominations were held up by Tuberville's protest.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) is a co-sponsor of the bill.
"They should have been confirmed a long time ago and if they had, many of them would've received pay raises but they were blocked from those increases that they had earned just by his stunt," he said.
Kaine called Tuberville's actions "reckless, unnecessary and ultimately pointless," adding: "Senator Tuberville got precisely nothing by this, other than inconveniencing everyone."
House lawmakers will have to vote on a back-pay bill before the military officers get any money. But the House began its holiday recess on December 15 and therefore will not consider the bill until members return in January.
Late Wednesday, Rep. Jen Kiggans, (R-Virginia, 2nd District) announced she is co-sponsoring the bipartisan "Military Personnel Confirmation Act of 2023" in the House. That bill -- like the Senate version -- would provide backpay for military officers whose promotions were delayed in the Senate and institute retroactive promotion dates.
In a statement, Kiggans said:
“At a time when our great nation is facing unprecedented threats from every corner of the world, it is critical we prioritize our military men and women. Preventing the promotions of more than 400 general and flag officers did the opposite and negatively impacted our military's readiness. While I share my colleagues' disagreements regarding DoD policies, Congress cannot allow our military families to get tangled up in partisan politics. I'm proud to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to provide benefits and backpay to the members of our Armed Forces who were negatively affected by this delay in promotions.”