A Democratic-sponsored plan to break the blockade Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., has placed against senior military promotions has advanced out of committee, setting up a showdown on the Senate floor that could lead to hundreds of generals and admirals getting confirmed after a nearly nine-month wait.
The Senate Rules Committee voted along party lines on Tuesday afternoon to advance the “standing order resolution” to circumvent Tuberville’s hold on general and flag officer nominees.
While the measure advanced out of committee, it is still unclear if it will have enough votes to pass on the Senate floor. At least nine Republicans need to support it for it to pass the full Senate, and so far, no Republicans have publicly committed to voting for it.
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Still, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who sits on the Rules Committee, left the door open to supporting the resolution later even as he voted against it Tuesday.
“Ultimately, the best path forward for everyone involved will be one that allows us to clear the nominations backlog and preserve our substantive opposition to the Biden administration’s atrocious policy,” said McConnell, who lamented that Tuberville has “unfortunately” targeted career military officers with no say in policy.
“Productive discussions on that front are ongoing, and I’m of the mind that we ought…
