Tommy Tuberville's military blockade could be hit by government probe

For 10 months, Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) blockade of military promotions was a major source of frustration for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the Pentagon. Eventually, Tuberville backed off, but he continues to draw criticism for the blockade. And some House Democrats are now calling for an investigation of his actions.

The New Republic's Tori Otten reports that two Democrats on the House Oversight Committee — Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Robert Garcia (D-CA) — have asked the Government Accountability Office to probe the effects the blockade had on the United States' military preparedness.

In a letter sent Friday, Otten reports, Raskin and Garcia told the office, "It is critical that Congress understand the full effects of the hold on military families."

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The House Democrats, according to Otten, asked investigators to examine the actions the U.S. Department of Defense needs to take "when military promotions are stalled for prolonged and indefinite periods."

Tuberville held up more than 450 military promotions to express his opposition to the Biden administration's policies on abortion access for women serving in the military.

"If the GAO accepts Raskin and Garcia's request," Otten notes, "it will be the first probe into Tuberville's actions, which hurt both military readiness and military families. Since people weren't being promoted, leadership positions sat empty for months. When they were finally filled, chief officers often found themselves without deputies, doubling their workload."

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Read The New Republic's full article at this link.