华盛顿-参议院共和党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔(Mitch McConnell)周三表示，他不会支持共和党参议员对军队提名人的封锁，他支持民主党人和国防部长劳埃德·奥斯汀(Lloyd Austin)，后者曾表示，这种封锁正在损害国家安全。
阿拉巴马州参议员汤米·特伯维尔(Tommy Tuberville)反对确认数十名军事提名的正常惯例，此举将迫使参议院举行潜在的数百次投票，以确认无争议的高级军官。特伯维尔没有放弃他长达数月的承诺，即支持五角大楼堕胎政策的提名人，该政策为寻求堕胎但驻扎在现在非法的州的部队和家属提供旅行资金和支持。
“不，我不支持搁置军事提名，”麦康奈尔告诉记者，在回答一个关于特伯维尔封锁的问题。“我不支持这种说法。但至于为什么，你必须问参议员Tuberville。”
麦康奈尔的评论对特伯维尔的保留没有实际影响，因为任何参议员都可以阻止参议院的任何行动。但共和党领导人的立场进一步孤立了阿拉巴马州共和党人，因为立法者和国家安全官员表示，拖延可能会产生危险的影响。
在上周发给马萨诸塞州参议员的一封信中伊丽莎白·沃伦作为一名民主党人，奥斯汀写道，他对确认的延迟“深感关切”。他说，五角大楼估计，从现在到今年年底，大约有650名一星到四星级别的军官需要参议院的确认。
奥斯汀写道，这些延误“对美国的军事准备构成了明显的风险，尤其是在他的关键时刻”，并补充说，以前从未有一名参议员拦截了这么多军官。他说，过多的职位空缺将打破该部门正常的领导流动，滋生不确定性和混乱，危及“每个战区、每个领域和每个军种”的运作
在今年早些时候的一次听证会上，奥斯汀为堕胎政策辩护说，成千上万的女性军人生活和工作的地方没有正常的生育卫生保健。“这项政策有着坚实的法律基础，”他说。
Tuberville的发言人周三表示，麦康奈尔的评论没有改变他的立场。这位参议员一再表示他不会让步。
“奥斯汀部长认为堕胎比他的最高级别军事提名更重要，”他上个月底说，此前民主党人试图在参议院召集提名。“奥斯汀部长今天就可以终止这项政策，我会解除我的保留。奥斯汀部长选择不这样做。”
特伯维尔认为，舒默可以在任何时候将提名带到参议院，并进行个人投票。但每项提名都需要至少两次投票和几天的参议院时间，民主党人认为，对常规军事提名进行党派投票将开创一个危险的先例，这些提名传统上是通过口头投票一致批准的。
舒默周三在参议院表示，共和党人愿意在堕胎问题上危及美国的“海外地位、服役人员的生计和我们的军事准备”。
“我们的国家安全不是激进右翼政策的筹码，”舒默说。
McConnell opposes Alabama Republican's blockade of military nominees over Pentagon abortion policy
WASHINGTON --Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday that he won’t support a fellow GOP senator’s blockade of military nominees, backing Democrats and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin who have said that the holdup is harming national security.
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville is objecting to the normally routine practice of confirming dozens of military nominations, a move that would force the Senate to hold potentially hundreds of votes to confirm non-controversial senior military officers. Tuberville has not backed down from his now-monthslong pledge to hold up the nominees over the Pentagon’s abortion policy, which provides travel funds and support for troops and dependents who seek abortions but are based in states where they are now illegal.
“No, I don’t support putting a hold on military nominations,” McConnell told reporters, in response to a question about Tuberville’s blockade. “I don’t support that. But as to why, you’ll have to ask Sen. Tuberville.”
McConnell’s comments have no practical effect on Tuberville’s holds, because any senator can hold up any Senate action. But the GOP leader's position further isolates the Alabama Republican as lawmakers and national security officials have said that the holdup may have dangerous effects.
In a letter sent last week to Massachusetts Sen.Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, Austin wrote that he has “deep concern” about the delays in confirmations. He said the Pentagon estimates that approximately 650 officers covered by the hold – those at the one-star to four-star levels – will require Senate confirmation between now and the end of the year.
The delays pose “a clear risk to U.S. military readiness, especially at his critical time,” Austin wrote, adding that never before has one senator held up so many officers. The glut of vacancies would break down the department’s normal flow of leadership and breed uncertainty and confusion, he said, risking operations in “every theater, every domain, and every service.”
At a hearing earlier this year, Austin defended the abortion policy by saying that tens of thousands of women in the military live and work in locations that don’t have regular reproductivehealth care. “This policy is based on strong legal ground,” he said.
A spokesman for Tuberville said Wednesday that McConnell’s comments have not changed his position. The senator has said repeatedly that he won’t budge.
“Secretary Austin thought abortion is more important than his highest-level military nominations,” he said late last month, after Democrats tried to call up the nominations on the Senate floor. “Secretary Austin could end the policy today, and I would lift my hold. Secretary Austin has chosen not to do that.”
Tuberville has argued that Schumer can bring the nominations to the Senate floor at any time and hold individual votes. But each nomination would require at least two votes and days of Senate time, and Democrats have argued that it would set a dangerous precedent to hold partisan votes on routine military nominations that have traditionally been unanimously approved by voice vote.
Schumer said on the Senate floor Wednesday that Republicans are willing to jeopardize U.S. “standing abroad, the livelihood of service members, and our military readiness” over the issue of abortion access.
“Our national security is not a bargaining chip for radical right-wing policies,” Schumer said.
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Associated Press writer Lolita Baldor contributed to this report.
