ICYMI: Senator Tuberville's Hold on Military Appointments Puts Military Spouses, Families in Limbo

A new report is detailing the damaging and cascading impact that Senator Tommy Tuberville's military holds are having on military spouses and families. Senator Tuberville has blocked more than 300 military appointments threatening our national security and military readiness, and adding unnecessary disruption for military spouses and families, affecting not only those awaiting promotion, but also those down the chain of command.

With the new school year beginning, military families are facing uncertainty on where their children will go to school, having un-enrolled their children from school districts in some cases in anticipation of moves across the country that haven't happened yet as a result of Senator Tuberville's obstruction. Military spouses are unable to move or start new jobs, and military families are losing out on hard-earned dollars they'd be able to receive if promotions had been confirmed.

As one military spouse noted, "It's a constant calculation about: Does this make sense for him and for me and our family?" Another highlighted the challenges Senator Tuberville's holds are causing for servicemembers' children saying, "We say that spouses get a little bit more of a choice, because you say 'I do,' and you make that conscious decision every year to stay. These kids were born into this, and they don't have any choices whatsoever."

Last month, nearly 800 military spouses signed a petition calling on Senator Tuberville to end his blockade of military appointments.

Read the full story below:

POLITICO: Military families dragged into Senate battle over abortion politics
[Lara Seligman and Connor O'Brien, 8/19/23]

One senator's hold on military advancements has ricocheted far beyond the Pentagon.

Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville's blockade of senior military promotions hasn't just affected the top brass. It's stalled the lives of hundreds of military spouses and children trapped in the tumult of abortion-related politics.

U.S. military families worldwide are finding their futures suspended — from uncertainty about finding housing to where their kids will attend school — as Tuberville's eight-month hold on promotions drags on. The Republican says he won't back down until the Pentagon overturns its new policy of reimbursing service members who travel to another state to obtain abortions and other reproductive services.

More than 300 officers have been forced to extend their current tours or been sent on temporary assignments to wait out the blockade, according to the Pentagon. And the halt has trickled down the ranks. Junior members can't advance until their bosses do, effectively freezing the status of hundreds more military members.

The uncertainty has wreaked havoc on their families. Many spouses are not able to accept or start new jobs, while some couples have chosen to pay moving costs for still unfinalized assignments out of pocket because it's the only way to get their kids registered for new schools.

Those same families are losing thousands of dollars a month that they would receive if the promotions had gone through on time — along with the money they lose if their spouses can't start new jobs. There is currently no mechanism for these service members to receive back pay because their salary is tied to their rank.

"It's a constant calculation about: Does this make sense for him and for me and our family?" said one military spouse living in the Washington area, whose husband works for a two-star admiral caught in Tuberville's hold. The spouse, who like other military family members in the story, was granted anonymity because she wasn't authorized to speak. "Lately it just seems like perhaps it's no longer worth it."

The impasse is becoming a national security problem because military families are thinking twice about continuing to serve, said Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), a House Armed Services Committee member.

"When you have families like that trying to deal with the instability, it becomes potentially a recruiting problem," he said in an interview. "You're going to start essentially losing some of the best people really because of a stunt."

President Joe Biden's pick to lead the Joint Chiefs, Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown, warned senators in July that the impact of the blockade on military families may convince promising talent to leave.

"The spouse network is alive and well, and the spouses will compare notes," Brown said during his confirmation hearing. "The member may want to serve, but the spouses and the families get a huge vote."

[…]

One naval officer's spouse, a teacher in a Virginia public school district, left her job in anticipation of the officer's overseas assignment, according to a Senate Armed Services Committee Democratic aide. She is unemployed because she's been unable to either accept a position in the new location or return to her old school.

The aide also highlighted two Air Force officers who sold their homes in anticipation of moves and are now living in temporary housing. They're paying hefty storage costs with no expectation of reimbursement.

[…]

"Senator Tuberville continues to act like military promotions are a partisan game," Senate Armed Services Chair Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said this week, citing the impact on military families. "His culture war plays are impeding the U.S. military's real-world ability to deter, fight, and win actual conflicts."

[…]

The Defense Department on Monday marked a solemn milestone: For the first time in history, three out of eight positions on the Joint Staff are filled by interim officers. By the end of the year, the Pentagon estimates about three-quarters of senior officers — 650 of 852 — will be held up.

The burden of military service is also felt acutely by military children, said a second military spouse whose husband is a Space Force officer. Their daughter, now in the 10th grade, has attended nine different schools due to the family's moves.

"We say that spouses get a little bit more of a choice, because you say 'I do,' and you make that conscious decision every year to stay," said the spouse. "These kids were born into this, and they don't have any choices whatsoever."