Tuberville tries to force a vote on single military nomination as he continues blockade
CBSN
Washington — Sen. Tommy Tuberville is trying to force a vote this week on the commandant of the Marine Corps, as the Alabama Republican continues his blockade on hundreds of military promotions and confirmations.
On Tuesday, Tuberville received enough signatures to file what's known as a cloture petition on Gen. Eric Smith's nomination to become Marine Corps commandant, according to a source familiar with the situation. Smith is currently an assistant commandant. GOP Sen. John Kennedy also confirmed the existence of the cloture petition, and said he signed it.
Tuberville has been single-handedly stalling military promotions and confirmations in protest of a year-old Pentagon policy that helps fund service members' out-of-state travel for abortions. The hold is in its sixth month and now impacts more than 300 general and flag officers, including nominees to lead the Navy, the Marine Corps, the Air Force and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
President Biden on Monday signed into law a defense bill that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China's growing power and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion despite his objections to language stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children in military families.
It's Christmas Eve, and Santa Claus is suiting up for his annual voyage from the North Pole to households around the world. In keeping with decades of tradition, the North American Aerospace Command, or NORAD, will once again track Santa's journey to deliver gifts to children before Christmas 2024, using an official map that's updated consistently to show where he is right now.