Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., arrives Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, for a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — The wife of a Navy officer is stuck in professional limbo, unable to accept a new teaching contract overseas or return to her old job in a Virginia public school.
Two children of service officers are being prevented from enrolling in a new school after leaving their old one in anticipation of a move.
Two Air Force officers are living in temporary housing and paying their own storage costs because they do not know how long their promotions will remain on hold.
The effects of the military promotion blockade put in place by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., seven months ago are wide-reaching and personal, according to stories and data collected by the Democratic staff of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The snapshots offer a detailed look at the impact of the senator’s ongoing hold.
Tuberville has refused to allow the Senate to proceed with unanimous voice votes typically used to confirm large batches of uncontroversial nominees until the Defense Department rescinds a policy giving service members time off and travel reimbursement for reproductive health services, including abortions.
Nearly 90% of the nation’s general and flag officers are expected to be affected by the hold by the end of the year, according to the committee’s Democratic staff.
“The senator from Alabama claims that holding general and flag officers does not affect military leaders’ effectiveness or livelihoods,” the staff wrote in a fact sheet released this week. “This is false.”
As of mid-September, 22 field officers who have been selected for their first star will have to assume the duties of the higher grade without receiving a corresponding pay raise. An additional 20 officers nominated for their second star will also work above their pay grade, losing nearly $2,000 per month, according to the fact sheet.
There will be no back pay for these officers, Democratic staff said. Another 25 three- and four-star officers are deferring retirement to ensure continuity of command.
Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the acting chief of naval operations, testifies Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on her nomination to take the job permanently. (Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes)
“Most of these officers have served for 30 or 40 years, mobilized for numerous combat deployments, and have missed countless birthdays, anniversaries, children’s births, sports games, and music recitals,” the fact sheet states.
The heaviest burden is being shouldered by military families. Democratic staffers said family members are reluctant to share their experiences, but hundreds of spouses and children have been prevented from enrolling in new schools and seeking new jobs.
Three officers told Democratic staffers that they chose to move their families to their expected new duty station at their own expense to ensure their children would be enrolled in school. They hope to reunite with their families after the hold ends, according to the fact sheet.
The hold also forced the Marine Corps to cancel a cross-country move for a senior officer and his family after the family’s household goods had already been shipped. The items are now waiting in storage at the future duty station while the officer covers the duties of another unfilled, more senior position at a temporary station.
“These examples are but the tip of the iceberg, snapshots and stories of those willing to share. The true impact of the senator’s actions may not be known for years,” the Democratic staffers wrote. “Family impacts increased significantly in August - traditionally a month during which many military families move to new duty stations and start new schools.”
Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the acting chief of naval operations and nominee to assume the job permanently, said Thursday that she is personally hearing concerns from families experiencing “uncertainty” due to Tuberville’s block.
Franchetti is one of dozens of promotions expected to be approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee in September but stopped from advancing further by Tuberville. The list of stalled nominations has grown to include the chief of staff of the Army, the commandant of the Marine Corps, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and about 300 additional positions.
Steve Stafford, Tuberville’s spokesman, said Friday that the concern Democrats were showing for the most senior members of the military was disingenuous because there was no such regard for the thousands of service members forced out of the military for refusing the coronavirus vaccine.
“Democrats were silent when [President] Joe Biden ran 8,000 patriots out of the military completely and left them without an income. But now they are engaging in overheated and often irresponsible rhetoric about a delay in 300 promotions at the very top of our military for people making $200,000 a year,” he said.
