Senate confirms four-star military nominees after Tommy Tuberville lifts hold on hundreds of promotions

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the final group of military nominees impacted by the blockade Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., held for 10 months in protest of a Pentagon abortion policy.

The upper chamber confirmed nearly a dozen four-star generals who remained in limbo after Tuberville earlier this month lifted his holds on military promotions for nominees three stars and below.

Tuberville has blocked over 400 military promotions since February in protest of the Pentagon's policy that reimburses out-of-state travel for service members who receive abortions. The Alabama lawmaker lifted the hold last week for all but 11 four-star generals he said should be confirmed individually.

"Our top, top leaders need to vetted just like everybody else," Tuberville told reporters last week. "We need to know who they are are and why they're making all the decisions of our military."

The 11 nominees include top generals for the U.S. Air Force, Pacific Fleet, Northern Command and Space Command.

Hours after Tuberville's release last week, the Senate confirmed more than 400 military promotions in one block of nominees three stars and below.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said it was a priority for the upper chamber to advance the nominations before the end of the year to support military members and their families.

Tuberville long faced pressure from his Senate colleagues to drop the protest. A group of senators in November took to the Senate floor urging Tuberville to step aside for the nominees. The lawmakers, over the course of five hours, highlighted the names, biographies and pictures of military members and called for individual votes on each.

"We didn't get as much out of it as we wanted," Tuberville admitted after after caving on his blockade.