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MORNING GLORY: Democrat El-Sayed reminds us just one senator can do great damage to our military
The article argues that Senator Tommy Tuberville’s 2023 blockade of senior military promotions demonstrates how a single senator can disrupt the armed forces, and presents Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate candidacy as a potential concern in that context. It is an opinion piece rather than a straight news report, using Tuberville’s actions to warn about the influence an individual senator can wield over military policy and appointments.
Tuberville held up promotions in protest at a Pentagon policy covering travel expenses for service members seeking reproductive healthcare across state lines. According to the article, the hold delayed the advancement of more than 400 senior officers for about 10 months, affecting Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy personnel awaiting promotion to general or flag rank.
In short
- Tuberville’s promotions hold delayed more than 400 senior military appointments.
- The article warns one senator can significantly affect the armed forces.
- It uses this precedent to criticise Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate bid.
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The case for
The blockade of over 400 military promotions for ten months illustrates how a single senator can significantly disrupt armed forces operations and readiness through obstruction, regardless of broader policy merit. When one individual can effectively paralyse military advancement and institutional stability through procedural tools, it raises legitimate concerns about whether such concentrated power serves the national interest, particularly when used as leverage over unrelated policy disagreements.
The case against
A senator's ability to place holds on appointments represents an essential constitutional check on executive power and ensures the Senate maintains meaningful oversight of military leadership decisions. Tuberville's use of this tool to contest a Pentagon policy he considered objectionable demonstrates how the confirmation process allows senators to address serious concerns about executive policies, even at institutional cost—this friction is inherent to separation of powers and prevents executive overreach rather than constituting mere obstruction.
Explained simply
The US Senate confirms many of the country’s most senior military officers. Senators can also use procedural holds to delay decisions, giving an individual senator influence over appointments and military policy.
In 2023, Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville used this power to block group confirmations of senior officers. He was protesting a Pentagon policy that paid travel costs for service members seeking reproductive healthcare across state lines; more than 400 officers were delayed for about 10 months.
Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat from Michigan, is seeking a Senate seat. The opinion piece invokes Tuberville’s blockade to argue that any senator’s use of Senate procedure can have consequences for the armed forces.
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