Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s blockade of military promotions over access to reproductive healthcare is seriously weakening national security as Senate Republicans stay silent.
Former Kentucky US Senate candidate said on MSNBC’s Deadline: White House:
There are numerous commands and units around the world who don’t have a commander. It’s the impact on the troops below is significant. You say you support the troops, then play political games that get in the way of their promotions and pay. And you know, when you say it’s just one senator, yes, that’s true. But look at all of the Republican senators who are basically silent right now.
Can you imagine if during the last administration, Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders were to hold up military pay and promotions because they were upset about a Trump administration Pentagon personnel policy? Can you imagine the outrage? This is where we’re at. So you know, the Republicans are silent. The Democrats need to get stronger. The Republican Party is no longer the party of national security. And this is just another example why.
Video of McGrath:
.@AmyMcGrathKY on #DeadlineWH talking about the silence of Senate Republicans on Tommy Tuberville’s blockade of military promotions “So you know, the Republicans are silent. The Democrats need to get stronger. The Republican Party is no longer the party of national security.” pic.twitter.com/R8aSuvwYp6
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) July 10, 2023
McGrath was not exaggerating.
Tuberville basically bragged to CNN’s Manu Raju that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had not pressured him to back off:
Despite McConnell voicing public opposition to Tuberville’s holds, Tuberville said “no,” he’s not feeling any pressure from the GOP leader to back off.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) July 10, 2023
Mitch McConnell has a ton of power within the Senate Republican caucus. He could break him fairly quickly if McConnell decided to come after Tuberville. McConnell steamrolled Rick Scott when they were fighting about Scott’s platform of killing Social Security and Medicare.
McConnell could end this if he wanted to, but the only thing that Mitch McConnell cares about is becoming Senate Majority Leader again, and if he has to use Tuberville to weaken national security for Republicans to flip the Senate, so be it.
Republicans don’t support the troops, and their silence on Tuberville is another America Last moment for Donald Trump’s party.