ICYMI: Military Spouses Call on Senator Tuberville to End Hold on Military Appointments

Today, hundreds of military spouses joined the call for Senator Tuberville to end his blockade of military appointments and to stop jeopardizing our national security. Senator Tuberville has held up the confirmation of more than 280 military leadership nominations, undermining our military readiness, while disrupting the lives of those who serve in uniform and their families – all in service of a dangerous partisan game.

As their petition reads: "No matter your political beliefs, we must agree that service members and military families will not be used as political leverage. It's time to end this political showmanship and recommit to respect the service and sacrifice of those who pledge to defend this nation."

Read the full story below:

AL.com: Military spouses deliver petition to Tuberville on 'inappropriate and unpatriotic' hold on nominations

An organization that advocates for military families on Monday hand delivered a petition signed by more than 500 active duty military spouses to Sen. Tommy Tuberville that calls the senator's months-long hold on military nominations "highly inappropriate and unpatriotic."

"No matter your political beliefs, we must agree that service members and military families will not be used as political leverage," reads the petition organized by the nonpartisan Secure Families Initiative. "It's time to end this political showmanship and recommit to respect the service and sacrifice of those who pledge to defend this nation."

Tuberville has blocked the nominations of more than 280 military officers since February over Department of Defense policies that expand abortion access, including reimbursing military members for travel to obtain an abortion if they are serving in an area where the procedure is illegal.

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Sarah Streyder, executive director of Secure Families Initiative and a military spouse, said the organization supports the new Defense policies because military members and their families have no say in where they are based. But even if the hold on nominations was made for a cause the group agreed with, it would not stand for a "political stunt," she said.

"No matter the party and no matter the issue, the tactic is still harmful," she said.

Any senator who disagrees with the Defense policies "should settle it through normal legislative or administrative channels," the petition reads.

"It is highly inappropriate and unpatriotic to wage a political battle by using military service members as pawns," it goes on to say.

In a statement, Streyder called said Tuberville's stalling "harms each and every one of our actively serving military families."

"How are we supposed to trust our political leaders to make decisions over war and peace when they play partisan ploys with our futures?" she said. "This isn't a football game; this nonsense needs to stop right now."

The petition was also sent Monday to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

It calls on the Senate leaders to "reiterate to Sen. Tuberville the dangers and ramifications of his political grandstanding; work together to resolve political and ideological disagreements outside the military space; and "expeditiously confirm all blocked promotions and fill existing vacancies."

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